Media Clipping – Thursday October 20, 2005, The Chronicle Herald

“Unsustainable” energy plan

The answer to Nova Scotia's energy dilemma is blowing in the wind, according to a new study released Wednesday in Dartmouth near the Tufts Cove power plant.

GPI Atlantic, a non-profit independent research organization, argues Nova Scotia Power's heavy reliance on burning imported coal to generate electricity across the province is "unsustainable."

"If we continue to burn coal without introducing pollution abatements methods that are available or slowly reducing coal over time, we will continue to pollute the air, (and) contribute to climate change," said Judith Lipp, co-author of the study.

"If we continue on that upward trend (that) Nova Scotia and Canada are moving on, it will have impacts on weather patterns, people living on the coasts. Those impacts are really what's important when looking at sustainability."

The 400-page study, which took two years to compile and cost about $60,000 with funding from the Nova Scotia Energy Department and federal government, is part of the genuine progress index. The index is a project by GPI Atlantic designed to provide a more complete picture of economic well-being than gross domestic product figures, which tend to measure job growth without looking at its costs.

The study found that the proportion of electricity generated from renewable resources has fallen over the past 20 years. At the same time the researchers found Nova Scotians are the highest energy users in the world, with total demand up by 12 per cent since 1991. Ron Colman, one of the study's authors, says Nova Scotia is at a "critical point" in its energy habits and should pursue a path more like that of Prince Edward Island, where the government has set out a long-term energy plan.

P.E.I. plans to produce 100 per cent of its electricity from wind by 2015, and while that province provides incentives to wind producers, Nova Scotia has the country's highest taxes on wind power development, according to the study.

The report recommends the province must set "ambitious" targets to increase sharply the portion of renewable energy produced and used in the province. The Nova Scotia Energy Strategy released four years ago set a target of five per cent renewables, including wind, hydro and biomass, for Nova Scotia Power.

It also urged NSP to upgrade to cleaner fossil-fuel technology in some of its power plants.

Hal Dobbelsteyn, Nova Scotia Energy Department program administration officer, said the department supports many of the recommendations of the study and acknowledged the government still has a long way to go.

"Unfortunately it's taken this recent situation with high prices to really bring in to the fore," Mr. Dobbelsteyn said. "The timing of this report today is excellent, and I think we can all benefit."

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