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Ontario breaks the coal-burning habit

The Thunder Bay Generating Station has burned the last of its coal, and Queen’s Park is rejoicing. The Ontario government is boasting that the province is the first North American jurisdiction to eliminate coal as a source of power generation.
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The Thunder Bay Generating Station has burned the last of its coal, and Queen’s Park is rejoicing.

The Thunder Bay Generating Station has burned the last of its coal, and Queen’s Park is rejoicing.

The Ontario government is boasting that the province is the first North American jurisdiction to eliminate coal as a source of power generation. Built in 1963, the generating station was the oldest coal-fired plant in Ontario Power Generation’s stable.

The plant will be undergoing conversion this year to burn a specialty black pellet, that’s called advanced biomass.

The fuel procurement process to attract potential suppliers is underway.

In an April 15 statement, provincial energy minister Bob Chiarelli is pleased that Ontario power is finally clean and green in advance of the government’s off-coal target date of late 2014.

"Getting off coal is the single largest climate change initiative undertaken in North America and is equivalent to taking up to seven million cars off the road. Today, we celebrate a cleaner future for our children and grandchildren while embracing the environmental benefits that our cleaner energy sources will bring."