On Track To Grow Clean Energy Economy
McGuinty Government Launches 2011 Progress Report
Ontario has become a global leader in the clean energy industry, creating thousands of jobs for families and cleaning up the air we breathe.
That is just some of the good news found in Ontario’s 2011 Progress Report. The annual report shows the results Ontarians are achieving together.
Through Ontario’s Green Energy Act, over 13,000 jobs have been created and the province is on track to create 50,000 jobs by the end of 2012.
Other achievements include:
- Replacing dirty coal-fired plants with cleaner sources of power such as wind, solar, and biomass – for the first quarter of this year, the use of coal was down 90 per cent compared to the same period in 2003. Eight coal units have been closed already, and two more will close later this year.
- Bringing more than 8,900 megawatts of new electricity supply online, including 2,000 megawatts from sustainable, renewable sources. That’s enough power for over two million homes.
- Ontarians have saved 1,700 megawatts of electricity through conservation – the equivalent of taking half a million homes off the grid.
- Helping Ontarians make the transition to a cleaner electricity system, the government is taking 10 per cent off electricity bills for families, farmers and small businesses for the next five years. The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit will save the average family about $150 per year.
The McGuinty government working with all Ontarians is helping to ensure we have the electricity we need to power our homes, schools, hospitals and our economy for many generations to come.
QUICK FACTS
- Ontario’s plan to eliminate coal-fired power plants is like taking up to seven million cars off the road.
- Ontario’s clean energy economy has attracted more than $20 billion in new private-sector investment.
- Enbridge’s Sarnia Solar Project is the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm in the world.
- The province’s long-term energy plan will rebuild 70 per cent of the electricity system over the next 20 years.
