In a radical move in Canada, the government of Ontario has declared the closure of four coal fired generating power stations. The move is being seen as an indication of the Ontario government to move towards utilizing more of renewable energy and also to further boost the concept of energy conservation. Read more about Canada Refining Industry to 2013

The four controversial coal fired generating power plants had a combined capacity of 2 gigawatts and were already on schedule to be shut down in 2014. However, the announcement to shut them down immediately has taken everyone by surprise and it is being welcomed by everyone. The decision heralds in the government’s drastic and sudden shift to bring in more of renewable energy in the overall energy usage and demand. This is also being seen as more investment starting to flow into the green energy industry, Ontario being Canada’s biggest economy.

Canada Refining Industry to 2013

This move by the government is being seen as a transition to electricity generated from green energy sources. The Ontario government has a ten step transition program to open up investment and opportunities in the province’s renewable energy industry and bring up the options for having a green economy.  This indicates a lowering in the province’s coal generation capacity by forty percent. The Ontario government is further aiming at a 33 percent decrease in the same before the elections come up in 2011. Apart from this, the government has an impressive plan to completely phase out coal generation by 2014 at the latest.

As per the government’s plan, the remaining eleven coal generating plants in Ontario will be converted to a biomass feedstock. Since the year 2003, nearly 3,700 MW of natural gas capacity has been added to the grid along with 1,200 MW of renewable energy.

In a recent move, Ontario also approved the Green Energy Act which is going to be providing some of the most liberal incentives for renewable energy worldwide. Some of the expectations from the Green Energy Act include:

•    10,000 MW of new installed renewable energy by 2015, over and above 2003 levels

•    25,000 MW of new installed new renewable energy by 2025, over and above 2003 levels

In another of an appreciative move by the Ontario government, the province also announced a subsidy of $4,000 to $10,000 CAD to citizens for purchasing a plug-in hybrid vehicle or a battery electric vehicle. This fiscal incentive is going to be put in place from July 2010 and it has a target of achieving a purchase rate of one electric vehicle in twenty vehicles by 2020.

The strong stand by the Ontario government towards bringing in an era of renewable energy is being compared to the lack of concern and moves put in place by the national government.