Project update — April 12, 2023:
Field studies resuming this spring
We are continuing to undertake environmental fieldwork to help guide Project design.
Aquatics and terrestrial field studies are resuming in April and archaeological investigations are resuming in May. These are critical to helping us understand the environment where the Project is proposed.
The data will be used to develop the upcoming environmental and impact assessment processes.
Read the Project update
Economic Effects during Preconstruction and Construction
Highlights during project preconstruction and construction in the RSA include the following estimated benefits:
- Up to 141 direct jobs during peak construction activities
- Up to 482 indirect and induced jobs during peak construction activities
- $186 million paid to workers during preconstruction and construction
- $750 million spent on labour, equipment and material
- $152 million in provincial tax revenue for Ontario
- $299 million in GDP
Economic Effects during operation
During operations, the model predicts the facility would have the following economic benefits in the RSA:
- 20 full-time positions created on-site and 3 full-time positions created off-site;
- 52 indirect and induced jobs
- $19 million per year in direct spending on labour, maintenance and materials
- $8.5 million per year in GDP
- $1.9 million per year in provincial tax revenue for Ontario
Immense economic benefits
A new Regional Economic Study by ERM Consultants Canada Ltd., a third-party consultant with expertise in socio-economic assessment, shows the TC Energy Pumped Storage Project in southern Ontario would have immense economic benefits locally, regionally and provincially.
The Regional Study Area (RSA) includes Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties in Southern Ontario.
A closer look
Electricity Supply: Surplus Supply at Night. Ontario has a diverse power system. However, there are limited resources that can quickly respond to changes in demand in a flexible manner. This mean starting and stopping quickly and changing output rapidly. Wind has a tendency to generate at night when the needs are lower. Electricity Demand (during off-peak hours): At night, when the demand for electricity is low, there is a surplus of electricity generated. The surplus is either exported to adjacent states or provinces at a loss, or wasted. Electricity Demand (during peak-demand periods): During the day, when the demand for electricity is high, fossil-fired generation is called upon to balance supply and demand.
A climate change initiative
TC Energy retained Navigant to perform an economic analysis of the proposed Pumped Storage Project with two focus areas:
Assess the potential impact of the project on the cost of electricity for Ontario ratepayers.
Quantify the potential CO2 emissions reductions for the electricity sector attributable to the project.
The Navigant team completed a rigorous economic analysis and simulation of the Ontario electricity market, calculating the ratepayer and CO2 emissions impacts of the project by running simulations with and without the project.
| Feasibility Assessments | What it studies | How it's studied | How it informs preliminary project planning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) LIDAR Survey | Topographic conditions/physical features of the project site area. | A drone is mounted with a LIDAR sensor and flown across the project site area. | Assesses and supports the design of the reservoir, penstocks, powerhouse, intake and discharge structures. |
| Bathymetry Survey | Underwater depth of Georgian Bay lakebed. | A multibeam echosounder (a type of sonar) is mounted to a boat and pings a beam of sound to the lake floor. | Assesses and supports the design of the intake and discharge structures and provides inputs to 3D hydraulic modelling, which studies water flow in and out of the lake and water turbidity. |
| Sediment Sampling | Lakebed characteristics such as sediment texture, consistency and smell. | A hand-operated dredge sampler is dropped to the lakebed from a boat. Sediments are then sent to a laboratory for testing. | Supports the design of the intake and discharge structures, provides inputs to 3D hydraulic modelling, which studies water flow in and out of the lake and water turbidity. |
| Geotechnical Drilling | Characterizes the overburden materials, bedrock elevations and quality of bedrock. Also establishes groundwater levels. | Boreholes are drilled at various depths into the soil and bedrock with a drill rig. | Supports the design of the reservoir, penstocks and powerhouse by determining what the ground is made of and its characteristics. |
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Community newsletter
January 2024
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