Village Squire, 1978-04, Page 23How about
an atomic tomato?
Some day, thanks
to an atomic power plant
we may have
fresh vegetables in winter
Winter is a bleak time for many people in Western Ontario.
Those who can escape to Florida or the Caribbean or even
California or Arizona. Those who can't content themselves with
buying fresh fruits and vegetables that bring with them a little
touch of the warmer climes of Mexico or California.
But things might be looking up in the years to come. Instead of
buying Mexican tomatoes in winter we may be buying atomic
tomatoes, produced right here in Western Ontario.
No it's not some new synthetic product but simply a sane use
of heat that has been wasted for years at the Bruce Nuclear
Power Project north of Kincardine. A feasibility study released
earlier this winter by the Connestoga-Rovers consultants said
that yes. it was possible to pipe the water carrying waste heat
from the generating station to greenhouses where the heat would
be used instead of the expensive oil or gas now used in the
industry.
Presently the greenhouse industry, mostly located in
Leamington and other southern Ontario towns, is in deep trouble
because of rising energy costs. Heating greenhouses to keep
plants from freezing in mid -winter now leads to costs of S35,000
to $40,000 per acre. The feasibility study said that this cost could
be cut in half. It won't be a cheap operation, however. Ontario
Hydro, which rums the generating plant, would have to make
changes at the plant estimated at $1.2 million. That's cheap by
comparison to the building of the insulated pipeline to carry the
water to the greenhouses which will run at about $1 million per
mile. The idea has received its strongest backing from the town
of Kincardine and understandably. Kincardine residents want
the greenhouse development to be located there but that's many
a million from the plant.
The idea for the development first came to public attention
about a year ago. Groundwork for the idea had been done by
Kincardine Developer Sam MacGregor, the man behind such
products of the Kincardine boom as Sutton Park development.
The idea didn't get any instant credibility, however, because that
announcement came in the middle of a provincial election
campaign in which Mr. MacGregor just happened to be the local
Progressive Conservative candidate. Even those who supported
VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1978. PG. 21.