Less than one week after saying there wasn’t enough research to proceed with off-shore wind, reinstating the moratorium lifted 2 years ago, and returning to a time when there wasn’t enough research, the government issued a release today stating ”Long-Term Energy Plan Takes Another Step Forward.” The off-shore wind is now simply planned for on-shore - most probably very near the shores of Erie, Huron, and, Pickle Lake.
The “final directive” has the same shallow thinking as the LTEP released late in 2010 (my blog entry re: the LTEP).
Most shockingly, the release states, “The province is also instructing Hydro One to move forward immediately with several priority transmission projects.” This follows the OEB’s latest ruling on Hydro One’s rate increase applications, which specifically noted there was no business plan for many of the lines in the Green Energy Plan, and specifically stated, “the Board will not approve the overall Green Energy Plan on a conceptual, or any other basis”
The government is therefore telling the OPA they don’t plan – they are expensive boot-licking clerks . The government is directing Hydro One to ignore the interests of consumers (easy for them after the past 4 years of orgasmic spending they’ve enjoyed) and yet again politicizing, or ignoring, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), a board that requires independence to function. Tom Adams was flagging this crisis with the OEB almost exactly a year ago, and just recently flagging what academics were suggesting should be done to strengthen governance of the electricity sector.
The government managed to denigrate government employees, regulators, and its citizens in one release.
CANWEA, of course, liked it.
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