The Ford government is planning to go underwater to build a new electricity line that will power Toronto for at least two decades.
The cable will run in Lake Ontario from the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, just east of Oshawa and ending in the east end of the city in the Port Lands, supplying 900 megawatts of additional power directly into Toronto.
Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce made the announcement on Wednesday.
“That is the equivalent of adding power for 900,000 homes and this will help power major projects,” said Lecce. “The land-based options don’t give us the additional capacity we’re going to need beyond 2040 and so if we want to do this once, do it right.”
Building the underwater line will cost an estimated $1.5 billion. While it’s more expensive than building an above-ground cable, the government said the line would be more cost-effective as it is more reliable and longer-lasting.
“We want to provide the best option that is less vulnerable to extreme weather events such as flooding or ice storms – instances that have previously resulted in lost electricity supply,” said Lecce.
This is the first time a high-voltage electricity transmission line will be built underwater in Ontario.
Some critics, including Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner, are slamming the government for not pursuing cleaner, cheaper energy sources instead.
“The Ford government is locking Ontario in to high-cost electricity, which is going to continue to jack up our electricity prices,” said Schreiner. “This makes absolutely no sense when the lowest cost sources of electricity now are wind, solar and battery storage.”
Electricity rates have skyrocketed in Ontario, jumping 29 per cent in November. The government has been cushioning the blow to consumers by subsidizing hydro rates by 23.5 per cent, but spending billions of taxpayer dollars to do so.
“If we wanna be competitive in the future, we can’t have electricity that is through the roof, and we can’t as a province continue to subsidize this forever without addressing it,” said NDP Energy Critic and MPP Jamie West
Lecee tells CityNews the target is to complete this electricity line by 2037, but the two other transmission lines are expected to reach capacity by 2030.
CityNews asked CEO of Toronto Hydro Jana Mosley if Toronto will have adequate power during that seven-year gap.
“We’re not concerned at this point in time around the timeline. I don’t expect to see any type of brownouts here happening in the City, but we do need to move on this timeline for this third line of supply,” said Mosley.
The government said building underwater won’t take longer than building above ground and Toronto residents living along shoreline shouldn’t see any disruptions during or after construction.
