As part of Ontario’s phaseout of coal energy and commitment to a clean energy economy, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and its partners, Sun Edison Canadian Construction LP and Six Nations Development Corp., are developing a 44 MW solar facility on and near the Nanticoke Generating Station site on Lake Erie.
The Nanticoke Generating Station, once considered the largest coal plant in North America, was closed for safety reasons last year. This endeavor, the Nanticoke Solar Project, will repurpose the site as an emissions-free energy generating facility.
“The Nanticoke project is a great opportunity for Ontario to take a former coal plant site and transform it into a clean and reliable solar power plant,” says Michelle Chislett, SunEdison’s vice president and country manager for Canada.
“The project aligns with our community values of sustainability and environmental prosperity,” says Matt Jamieson, president and CEO of Six Nation’s Development Corp. “Investing in clean energy benefits the people of Six Nations economically without compromising our children’s future.”
According to OPG, this is the power company’s fourth partnership with the First Nations, having produced renewable generation from the Lac Seul station, the Lower Mattagami River station and the Peter Sutherland Sr. Generating Station.
“OPG is already Ontario’s largest renewable energy producer, and this will be an important addition to our portfolio,” says Jeff Lyash, OPG’s president and CEO. “We stopped burning coal at Nanticoke in December 2013, and this is an investment in a cleaner energy future for Ontario.”
The partners will now work together to obtain the required approvals and contracts needed to start construction.
