Click on the link above to read the CBC News story about the completion of an 80 MW solar project at Sarnia, Ontario. Originally built as a 20 MW facility by First Solar Inc. under the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the operation was upgraded by Enbridge Inc. and will continue to be operated by First Solar. The farm consists of 1.3 million panels covering 950 acres.
Under the new Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program that replaced RESOP, the OPA can no longer enter into contracts for energy generated by ground-mounted solar facilities greater than 100 kW in size that are located on Class 1 and 2 agricultural soils and specialty crop areas. While larger projects are permitted on Class 3 soils, no more than 500 MW in total in Ontario are permitted. The prohibition on use of farm land will remain in place until further regulations are prescribed under the Electricity Act, 1998.
Hello Mr. Goudy;
ReplyDeleteI have just read some of your comprehensive blog items. Very informative.
I appealed to the Ontario Drainage Tribunal regarding the Mindemoya Drain and Yonge Street Reconstruction Project on September lst, 2010. It has now been over eight weeks since the hearing took place before tribunal Chair Susan Whelan and we have heard absolutely nothing. We normally would hear results within a month, and, in fact, all other tribunals since mine have posted results on the OMAFRA website.
Mine was not a particularly complex hearing and only 2 appellants were heard.
Can you shed any light on why this matter is taking so long?
Much thank.
Lois Lockhart, Mindemoya, Ontario
Dear Ms. Lockhart,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your question. I have been away the past few days giving presentations at the OMAFRA Farm Tax & Business Seminars. I see now that a decision was rendered in your case on October 28 and has been posted to the Tribunal website.
Your guess is as good as mine as to why there may be a delay in receiving a decision. While your case might not have been a complex one, there are other factors that can affect the length of time a decision will take to make. For instance, the current scheduling of other hearings may delay a Board member from writing his or her decision.
In most non-urgent cases, all one can do is wait for the decision to be rendered and rarely, if ever, will reasons for a delay be disclosed.