Cutting power use called key to savings in Ontario

Reducing the demand for electricity using current technology is a better financial bet than building new generators in Ontario, says a preliminary version of a new study.

Ontario could cut its peak demand for power almost in half by 2020 — by 12,500 megawatts — with an investment of $18.2 billion, says the study by the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

While that's expensive, the institute says the cost of building generators is even higher. New-design nuclear generators to supply that much power would cost $32 billion, the study says.

The study is an interim version with the final study due by this summer. The interim study is being released now because the Ontario government plans an energy policy announcement this week, Mark Winfield of the Pembina Institute said in an interview. The institute is an Alberta-based environment and energy research organization.

The Toronto Star