Windsor council asked to support Capital Power gas plant expansion, despite resident opposition

A power generator in Windsor is looking for a green light from the city to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to double its power generating capacity, but it’s coming against some opposition from residents.

Capital Power wants to build two new natural gas turbines to help bridge the power gap in the short-term.

Capital Power, located at the corner of Cadillac Street and Riverside Drive in east Windsor, currently generates 92 megawatts of energy for Ontario’s grid.

A proposal going before city council on Monday, Jan. 16 aims to add 100 megawatts of capacity by adding twin natural gas turbines on the 1.5 acre site.

“This region needs power. And people know when they wake up in the morning and they flip the switch, they want the lights to go on,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.

Council is being asked to provide a municipal support resolution that will then go to the Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO) for a final decision.

The IESO has pegged Windsor as a high priority location for up to 1,500 megawatts of natural gas capacity in the short-term.

Future economic development — specifically related to the NextStar EV battery plant — relies on projects like this, according to Dilkens.

“The question is really simple. Do you want power in the city of Windsor in the county of Essex to be able to grow our region and provide the power that's required?” asked the mayor. “If the answer is yes, we have to support these types of applications.”

But just a few months ago Capital Power pitched a different idea altogether: a battery energy storage system for up to 40 megawatts of new power.

“It's a strange pivot to the gas plants when they are bad for health, bad for climate and a risky financial decision,” said Kiemia Rezagian of the Windsor Essex Youth Climate Council.

Rezagian said adding gas plants at a time when the country is working towards cleaner energy solutions by 2035 is a bad decision for many reasons when a viable alternative has been pitched and supported by council already.

She’s asking residents to write their councillors and the mayor to dissuade them from supporting the application.

“Please stand behind the climate commitments you've already made. City council, in fact, already supported a gas power phase out in 2020,” Rezagian said. “So this is in opposition of what they've already said they support.”

According to a city report, plans shifted following a “transmission deliverability” assessment showing a higher capacity for transmission at the site than anticipated.

In a report going before council, the city acknowledges a gas plant may negatively impact Windsor’s efforts at greenhouse gas reduction.

Mayor Dilkens confirms he’s received many letters in opposition to the project, but still needs to support the application.

He says not voting yes to this project or others which provide additional energy not only affects their ability to provide power for existing and prospective residents and businesses, it could also force the province to take emergency actions such as conservation appeals and rotating blackouts.

“Climate change is really an important issue. But we have to balance what we're doing,” said Dilkens.

“At the end of the day, if we don't have power and we can't attract new jobs, if we can't provide power for existing employers here in the city of Windsor, we're in trouble.”