Special Meaford council meeting for 'pumped storage' project report set for June 1

Meaford’s mayor and council will receive a staff report on TC Energy’s proposed pumped hydro storage plant to be built on federal lands at the Armed Forces’ 4th Canadian Division Training Centre during a special council meeting on June 1 at 3 p.m.

Due to current COVID-19 distancing measures, the meeting will be held virtually and can be viewed on the municipality’s YouTube channel.

The public is unable to attend the meeting but can schedule to make comments via phone or over the internet. Members of the public wishing to make a deputation must register by Friday by contacting the clerk at clerk@meaford.ca or via voicemail at 519-538-1060, ext. 1115.

The deadline for the submission of comments by the public directly to the Department of National Defence (DND) in regards to the TC Energy project has been extended to July 31.

The 16-page report submitted by Meaford CAO Rob Armstrong highlights some of the concerns and issues the municipality hopes to have addressed before the DND grants TC Energy approval to proceed with the project.

The report also suggests the municipality has no jurisdiction, as the proposed facility is set to be built on federal land.

“It is staff’s opinion however that the proposal could have impacts on lands that are affected by the Official Plan and therefore it should be evaluated in accordance with the Goals and Objectives and other policies of our Official Plan,” the report reads.

The report recommends council submit a letter to the DND and TC Energy to request the DND be satisfied that issues identified in the municipality’s report can be addressed prior to granting approval.

The report also recommends council declare their support for the project “proceeding to the applicable Environmental Assessment approvals process, provided the Department of National Defence is satisfied that the issues can be addressed and grants approval to TC Energy to proceed”.

Finally, it’s recommended the municipality retains a project manager to coordinate the peer review of studies pertaining to the project and to negotiate an agreement with TC Energy with regard to the compensation of municipal costs.

The report mentions TC Energy funded the cost of a project manager when the Municipality of Greater Napanee worked with the company on a similar proposed energy project.

“It is staff’s opinion that the Municipality should engage a Project Manager from our engineering roster of consultants with expertise in environmental issues, and negotiate an agreement with TC Energy to cover municipal costs related to project management and peer review,” the report reads.

Several issues are highlighted in the report including the project’s potential environmental effects on the surrounding land, shorelines, water quality, fish and wildlife.

Light and noise concerns from both the construction and subsequent operation of the pumped storage facility, and potential air-quality concerns from the digging of the massive reservoir, were mentioned in the report.

There’s also a highlighted concern that’s been “identified by the public with regard to a potential breach of the reservoir, which could have potential catastrophic impacts on the residences below the escarpment. Staff believe a risk analysis or a dam break analysis should be provided as part of the detailed design of the reservoir”.

Letters from Grey County and TC Energy have been attached to the report as appendixes, as has a report to council from the Save Georgian Bay organization – a volunteer group that opposes the project.

Should TC Energy’s project be approved it would have a projected opening date of 2027.

The project, which is proposed to be built at the Armed Forces’ 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford, would generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

The plant would pump water from Georgian Bay 150 metres up the Niagara Escarpment to a man-made reservoir during off-peak electricity demand hours. The water would then be allowed to flow back down through turbines to produce 1,000 megawatts of electricity during high demand periods when electricity is more expensive.

The proposed project would be subject to regulatory approval, including a provincial environmental assessment and federal impact assessment according to TC Energy’s online project overview and fact sheet.

The company says it will reduce electricity costs by an estimated $250 million per year in Ontario and cut 465,000 tonnes per year of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to removing 100,000 cars from the road each year.

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