December 3, 2015
Editorials, Ontario

Shocking stupidity by Wynne, McGuinty

Toronto Sun | December 02, 2015 | www.torontosun.com

Thanks to Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk we now know that every substantial thing the Dalton McGuinty/Kathleen Wynne governments have said about their management of Ontario’s electricity system is a fraud.

They told us they were carefully planning for the future.

In fact, Lysyk found the Liberals ignored their own legislation and regulations in developing their electricity plan. As a result, “Ontario electricity ratepayers have had to pay billions for these decisions” Lysyk found.

Among Lysyk’s shocking findings:

Between 2008 and 2014 hydro rates skyrocketed 70%, costing $37 billion more than the market price for electricity. From 2015 to 2032, the added cost is projected to be another $133 billion.

Ontarians will pay $9.2 billion more for renewable energy than necessary, despite the fact the province has a massive energy surplus.

Last year, Ontario paid wind power companies twice as much for electricity as the U.S. average and solar companies 3.5 times the U.S. average.

Electricity generated by a biomass plant in Thunder Bay costs 25 times more than the average price in Ontario because the government ignored warnings from the Ontario Power Authority that converting the plant to biomass from coal wasn’t cost-effective.

Because of poor co-ordination, hydro consumers have had to pay $408 million extra to electricity generators either for increasing their power output, or for not producing power.

As for Hydro One, 60% of which Wynne is selling to the private sector, thus putting it outside the auditor-general’s scrutiny, its electricity and transmission distribution systems are becoming less reliable while costing more.

Between 2010 and 2014, Hydro One customers experienced 24% more outages lasting 30% longer, while costs to maintain the system increased 31%. The utility is “consistently one of the least reliable among large Canadian electricity distributors.”

Between 2012 and 2014 alone, Hydro One’s maintenance backlog increased 47% and outages 7%.

There is a risk of more power failures because Hydro One isn’t replacing $4.5 billion worth of transmission assets “that have exceeded their planned useful service life”.

Simply put, the Liberals haven’t a clue of what they’re doing on the energy file and their green energy plan – the one praised by Al Gore – has been a complete and ruinously expensive disaster.

[rest of article available at source]


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/12/03/shocking-stupidity-by-wynne-mcguinty/