http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=2eb02a2b-6 479-482d-ba51-e28edfe34d81 Suroit project gassed Quebec pulls plug on Beauharnois generator KEVIN DOUGHERTY The Gazette, Thursday, November 18, 2004 Suroit is dead. Rumours have circulated for months that the $550-million plan to build the Suroit natural-gas-fired generator in Beauharnois would be scrapped. But the end of Suroit came only yesterday, as an afterthought to a Liberal government announcement of consultations on Quebec's energy security. "I am very proud today, on this fine autumn day Nov. 17, to announce parliamentary hearings on Quebec's energy future," Natural Resources Minister Sam Hamad told reporters. Greater use of natural gas for home heating is part of Hamad's energy agenda, along with alternate energy sources. Hamad then announced his second reason for calling a news conference. "Suroit, (is) finished," the minister said. "Suroit, finished." Last January, acting on recommendations from Hydro-Quebec that the province would run short of electricity by 2008 without the 836-megawatt Suroit generator, Hamad gave a green light to the project. Immediately, environmentalists, the mayor of Beauharnois, Roman Catholic nuns and consumer groups mobilized against the project, which Greenpeace said would add greenhouse gases equivalent to 600,000 cars. In February, on the eve of a meeting of the party's general council, Premier Jean Charest put Suroit on hold, "because people are asking questions." At the time, a Leger marketing poll showed 67 per cent of Quebecers were against Suroit, and delegates to this weekend's Liberal convention in Montreal were poised to raise questions about it. So the premier gave Quebec's Regie de l'energie 60 days to review Hamad's decision, then extended the review until the end of June, when the assembly would not be sitting. Asked if he would pay a political price for Suroit, Hamad insisted that he acted in "good faith" when he first agreed to the plan and he was acting in "good faith" in abandoning it. Hamad said he knew six weeks ago that it was too late to build Suroit in time for Hydro-Quebec's 2007 deadline. As well, General Electric - which planned to use Suroit as its first plant using a new, less-polluting technology - was no longer interested, Hamad said, and the government also took account of public opinion. Hamad and Charest had maintained the fate of Suroit would be decided at parliamentary hearings this fall, while Hydro-Quebec officials said Suroit was "up in the air." The hearings were first announced in July when the Regie d'energie ruled Suroit was "not indispensable" but "desirable." No dates were set for the hearings before yesterday's announcement, but with the decision to scrap Suroit, the government has cleared away the three elements of debate suggested in the Regie's decision. In addition to whether a gas-fired plant is needed to supplement Hydro-Quebec's hydro-electric dams, the Regie suggested the government look at wind power as an alternative form of energy and said Quebec could do better at energy efficiency. Since then, Hydro-Quebec has announced that 1,000 megawatts of new wind-power capacity would be built in the Gaspe region and the government is prepared to add another 1,000 megawatts of wind power. Last month, Hydro-Quebec announced a $1-billion energy efficiency plan that would save 3 terawatt hours, or 3 billion kilowatt hours, enough electricity for 180,000 homes for a year. Previously, the utility set a modest target of saving 0.75 terawatt hours through energy efficiency. The Regie recommended 2.1 terawatt hours. [how will we know if any of this has actually been achieved ? ....will it be like those 1,000 megawatts of wind-power capacity, that actually produces between one-fifth and one-third of that ? ] The Regie said that without Suroit, Hydro-Quebec, which has reaped huge profits selling electricity on the U.S. spot market, would have to import electricity until 2008, when new power dams come into production. Hamad confirmed yesterday Hydro-Quebec is already a net importer. The consultations announced yesterday start Dec. 1-2, when a National Assembly committee will hear six experts on energy issues, including economist Pierre Fortin and Jean-Marc Carpentier, whose private mini-hydroelectric dam near Trois Pistoles was cancelled by the previous Parti Quebecois government. As well, Joseph Doucet of the University of Alberta will discuss thermal generation, along with wind expert Gaetan Lafrance, Pierre-Andre Bourque, whose expertise is hydrocarbons, and Alain Webster, who will address sustainable development issues. [....hmm - I guess they won't bother inviting wind farm operator Axor again -- too depressing ] Public hearings begin Jan. 25. kdougherty@thegazette.canwest.com --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.797 / Virus Database: 541 - Release Date: 11/15/2004
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