The Nanticoke Solar Facility is a 44 MW solar power station in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada.[1] It is located on the site of the defunct Nanticoke Generating Station, which operated from 1972 to 2013 and was the largest coal-fired power plant in North America.
| Nanticoke Solar Facility | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Nanticoke, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 42°48′0″N 80°3′1″W / 42.80000°N 80.05028°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2018 |
| Commission date | 2019 |
| Owner | Nanticoke Solar LP |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Site area | 158 hectares (390 acres) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 192,431 |
| Nameplate capacity | 44 MW |
The facility is owned and operated by Nanticoke Solar LP, a joint venture of Ontario Power Generation (80%), the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (15%), and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (5%).[2][3]
History
editThe Nanticoke Solar Facility and its predecessor, the Nanticoke Generating Station, is built on the site of the "Battle of Nanticoke" where the Norfolk volunteer militia routed a band of American marauders who had been pillaging area farms and terrorizing the country in 1813. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924.[4] Following the phase-out of coal power in the province, Ontario Power Generation announced in July 2015 that it would not be converting the facility to biomass or natural gas and that remaining equipment would be sold or repurposed elsewhere.[5] The two smokestacks were imploded using controlled demolition on February 28, 2018.[6]
OPG established Nanticoke Solar LP as a joint venture with First Nations to build and operate a new solar facility on the site.[7][8] The Nanticoke Solar Facility is Ontario Power Generation's first solar facility. Contracts were let in 2016 and construction began in 2018.[9] The 192,000-panel solar farm was completed in March 2019 but demolition of the old Nanticoke GS structures continued even after construction was completed.[10][11] The last sections of the former Nanticoke GS were demolished on August 22, 2019.[12]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Ruiz Leotaud, Valentina (April 1, 2019). "Former coal-fired power plant in Ontario becomes solar facility". MINING.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ "2020 Annual Report". Ontario Power Generation. p. 185. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ "Nanticoke Solar LP". Six Nations Future. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Nanticoke National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places.
- ^ Sonnenberg, Monte (July 15, 2015). "OPG rejects natural gas, biomass option for Nanticoke Generating Station". Simcoe Reformer. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Craggs, Samantha (28 February 2018). "Watch as OPG demolishes 2 huge smokestacks at the Nanticoke generating station". CBC Hamiltion. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ Tencer, Daniel (March 14, 2016). "Ontario's Nanticoke, North America's Former Largest Coal Plant, To Reopen As Solar Farm". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Marion, Michael-Allan (March 11, 2016). "Six Nations thrilled with solar project approval". Brantford Expositor. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ "Nanticoke Solar project closer to reality". The Hamilton Spectator. March 11, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Shumkov, Ivan (April 3, 2019). "Ontario utility completes 44-MW solar park on Lake Erie shores". Renewables Now. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Sonnenberg, Monte (April 1, 2019). "Solar takes over at Nanticoke Generating Station". Norfolk & Tillsonburg News. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ "Nanticoke powerhouse safely demolished". Media Releases. Ontario Power Generation. August 22, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.