Since announcing the NGS project in late 2012, TransCanada has been actively engaging the community as it conducted extensive environmental studies. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about the project. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at ngs@transcanada.com.
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Open House Questions & Answers?
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What is the NGS project?
The proposed NGS project is a 900 MW, combined-cycle, natural-gas-fuelled electricity generating station. The facility is being designed as a flexible system resource with the ability to start and stop daily and to vary its output to help meet Ontario’s electricity demand. NGS will use the latest in generating and environmental control technology which will make it one of the most efficient and cleanest plants in Ontario. -
Why is this project needed?
The proposed NGS facility is expected to help Ontario meet its clean energy goals and will help manage changes in nuclear generation capacity due to planned refurbishments and retirements over the next 15 years. The proposed facility will also serve to address rising provincial electricity demand and will be a flexible resource to help integrate renewable resources into the electricity supply by easily increasing and decreasing its output as solar or wind production naturally moves up and down. -
What are the potential benefits of the NGS?
The proposed facility will provide a number of economic benefits, including approximately 650-750 construction-related jobs, the purchase of local goods and services, as well as 24 long-term jobs, which will result in approximately $4 million in annual salaries and benefits.TransCanada commissioned an Economic Impact Study of the Napanee Generating Station. The study concluded that approximately $300 million (or 26%) of the total $1.2 billion capital cost expenditure for NGS will accrue to the Napanee, Kingston and Belleville areas. During the operations phase, approximately $8.4 million per year in annual expenses is expected to be spent locally and NGS will contribute approximately $1 million annually in local taxes.
TransCanada also contributes to healthy and vibrant communities through our Community Investment programs to build meaningful partnerships with local organizations. In addition, the facility will have environmental benefits by helping the province meet its clean-energy goals and improving air quality. Please see the Benefits page for more information.
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What will the NGS look like?
In 2013, TransCanada established a committee of local stakeholder groups to ensure that the community had the opportunity to help determine architectural and landscaping priorities and colour schemes for NGS. Committee members established screening of the plant from neighbours and Highway 33 as their top priority and that the plant colours should be natural and blend into the community. As a result, TransCanada has agreed to install berms along the front and east of the station and will be installing over 2,000 trees, 10,000 shrubs and a wide variety of plants to provide year round colour and screening. -
Why is this site a good site for a generating station?
Siting the project beside the existing OPG Lennox Generating Station provides an excellent location for the proposed NGS facility. By locating here, NGS can share existing natural gas and electrical transmission interconnections as well as water intake and discharge facilities and other infrastructure services. The site is also zoned appropriately for such a facility and has excellent road and rail access for construction. -
Why do we need this plant when we have a big one next door?
The proposed NGS will be designed to operate during the week to meet the daytime electricity demand. It is expected to start each morning and to stop each evening, Monday through Friday. Ontario needs additional flexible generation resources to help manage changes in nuclear generation capacity during planned refurbishments. Each plant has a specific role and the addition of the proposed facility is not expected to change the operation of the Lennox Generating Station. Due to its higher level of efficiency, NGS is expected to operate more frequently than Lennox Generating Station. There will be times when both plants will be operated to meet the Ontario peak demand and to provide system reliability. -
How large will the facility be in comparison to the OPG Lennox facility?
The NGS site is 38 hectares (approximately 93 acres) in size located immediately east of the existing OPG Lennox Generating Station. OPG’s facilities occupy approximately 162 hectares (400 acres). The site is located on the north side of Loyalist Parkway east of County Road 21. The stacks at NGS will be approximately 61 metres (200 feet) high, which is about half the height of the neighbouring stacks at the OPG facility. The footprint of the plant will occupy 11 hectares (approx. 25 acres). -
What effect will the plant have on the environment and surrounding communities?
To complete its Environmental Review Report, TransCanada’s conducted extensive studies covering air quality, noise, human health, terrestrial and aquatic environments, archaeological and heritage resources, and socio economics. These studies concluded that:
- NGS will have little or no effect on the environment and surrounding community, both during construction and operation
- Modelling results, including those related to air quality and human health are within or below allowable limits set by regulatory requirements
- Water needs and evaporative losses are relatively small and will not significantly affect water resources, natural resources or climate
- Noise levels increases as a result of NGS during operations will be below MOE sound criteria at the nearest residence
