Heather Wright/The Independent

St. Clair Township Mayor Jeff Agar is excited about the prospect of the Lambton Generating Station once again becoming a site for energy production in the province.

Nov. 27, the province announced it wants Ontario Power Generation to explore the possibilities for power at three of its sites – including the one in Courtright.

In a news release, the province says its asked OPG to work with municipal and Indigenous leaders and the communities of Port Hope, Haldimand County and St. Clair “ to determine community support for all types of new energy generation, including nuclear, to meet Ontario’s soaring demand for electricity. “

The Independent Electricity System Operator says the province’s power demand will increase 75 per cent by 2050. A number of major projects, including new transmission lines through Chatham-Kent and Lambton counties, are in the works, but more power will be needed.

“To meet soaring energy demands, we’re working with communities to plan ahead and build for our future so that we can generate more power that is reliable and affordable,” says Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy, in a news release, adding the province is looking for places to expand.

“Three of these sites – Wesleyville in Port Hope, Nanticoke in Haldimand County and Lambton in St. Clair – are already zoned for electricity generation, have proximity to transmission, and are located in Southern Ontario, within regions experiencing significant growth.”

The province says it will provide a $50 million fund to improve infrastructure in the communities hosting new power projects.

Agar welcomes the news. “I’ve been pushing at this for the last two years,” he tells The Independent.

“Since I’ve been in this mayor role, and I met with a lot of different energy, folks, and I’m just ecstatic that at least it we’re in the mix.”

The coal-fired plant in Courtright was closed in 2013 as part of the Ontario Liberal government’s plan to phase out coal power in the province. 

The Power Workers Union, farm groups and environmentalists advocated retooling the plant to use biomass from corn and wheat in the area or converting the plant to natural gas. But in 2016, the province ruled the plan out and closed the plant for good.

Demolition crews cleaned the last scraps of metal away from the site earlier this year. 

Agar says he’s been asking provincial officials what’s next and even said St. Clair Township would make OPG an offer for the land.

“I kind of put it to him, ‘Well, if you guys don’t want to do nothing, I’ll make an offer from the municipality and we’ll buy that property,’” Agar recounted. 

“He said, No, no, we actually have plans.’”

Agar says since then he has heard there was something in the works for the land, but until recently, the province did not give any hits what lay ahead.

The Minister suggested one of the possibilities for the site is smaller  nuclear units which the province is developing. Agar sees no issues with that noting nuclear energy does not have the stigma it once had. 

“It can be a number of different things, but it’s great for us, because, as you know, like, we lost a couple million dollars on just tax revenue, not counting the jobs…so it’d be a great thing for the community, for the whole county,” says Agar.

He added the Courtright site is cleared and ready for something new and St. Clair Township is about to start the expansion of its waste water treatment plant in the community. The province provided $33.8 million earlier this year for the project. 

Part of the push for the upgrade was the Crown Royal plant Diageo planned to build in the township. The company has since put the project on indefinite hold. Agar says any power project may be able to tap into that system in the future. 

The mayor says the province has not given a timeline for the review of the sites.