Ontario Permanently Bans Coal-Fired Electricity Generation

• Province Passes Landmark Law In Advance of Global Climate Change Summit

News from the Government of Ontario

Queen’s Park, Ontario November 2015 – In the lead up to the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties in Paris, Ontario passed legislation this November 23^rd to permanently ban coal-fired electricity generation in the province – a first in North America and a significant step in the fight against climate change.

Air emissions from the now off-line coal-fired electricity generating plant along Lake Erie in Nanticoke, Ontario were once the target of legal complaints filed by New York State

The Ending Coal for Cleaner Air Act prevents new and existing facilities from burning coal for the sole purpose of generating electricity. It sets maximum fines for anyone who violates the ban and enshrines the health and environmental benefits of making coal-fired electricity illegal in law.

This landmark legislation builds on Ontario’s leadership on climate change. Last year, Ontario closed its last coal-fired power plant. Closing coal-fired power plants represents one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in North America. The closure has eliminated more than 30 megatonnes of annual GHG emissions, equivalent to taking seven-million vehicles off our roads.

Climate change is not a distant threat – it is already costing the people of Ontario. It has devastated communities, damaged homes, businesses and crops and increased insurance rates. The cost of inaction is far too high.

Closing coal-fired electricity generation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

QUICK FACTS

• The province will be releasing a Climate Change Strategy that looks forward to 2050, and sets out Ontario’s vision and objectives for meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and pursuing a prosperous low-carbon economy.
• Ontario is engaging with the business community, environmental groups and First Nations, among others, on the design of a cap and trade program.
• In August 2007, Ontario brought the Cessation of Coal Use Regulation into force under the Environmental Protection Act. The regulation prohibited the use of coal at existing stand-alone electricity generating facilities after Dec. 31, 2014.
• By April 2014, coal-fired electricity was successfully eliminated from all Ontario Power Generation stations – 19 generating units in total. More than 90 per cent of the power generated in Ontario now comes from clean energy sources such as water, nuclear and renewables.

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