The Rural Voice, 1979-04, Page 56No need for bulk power facilities here: Huron F of A
(Editor's Note: The text of the Huron F of
A submission to the Porter Commission on
March 19 in Wingham appears below.)
We in the Huron County Federation of
Ag riculture represent farmers in one of the
most productive agricultural counties in
the province. Our Federation has over
2,000 paid up members. We have a
number of concerns regarding Bulk Power
Facilities and the future demand for
electrical power.
We are concerned about the recent
difference between Hydro's Load Forecast
and the actual demand which has
developed. Is this a special situation or
does it represent a trend toward reduced
electrical growth? We feel that it repre-
sents a trend and one that will accelerate
rather than disappear in coming years.
Energy conservation, as a major factor in
management decisions, has been a recent
development. There are substantial op-
portunities for reducing electrical con-
sumption and these will be more widely
implemented as understanding of con-
servation techniques increases.
We are doubtful that farm energy use
will increase at the rates that Hydro seems
to suggest. Whil e it is true that electricity
does much valuable work on the farm the
process of replacing human labour with
electric motors has been largely com-
pleted. That market is nearly saturated and
farmers are becoming more energy con-
scious in their choices. As alternatives to
using electricity become better known and
increasingly economical we can anticipate
a further slowing in electrical growth.
We would like to point out that much of
agricultural useage is during off peak
periods. Maximum ventilation is required
during the summer months. Grain drying
and handling are fall activities. Solar
heating, wood heating, improved in-
sulation and construction techniques are
going to reduce heating demands. New
heat exchangers, methane d g esters and
wind power systems may also have an
important impact on future rural energy
uses. Another area that merits more
consideration in the future is the pos-
sibilities for agricutural cogeneration. The
multiple uses of energy flows is an
admirable concept. However, for it to be
acceptable to farmers it must involve
scaling generation size to the heat needs of
the farm operation rather then moving
farms to huge generators.
We feel that with improving energy
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PG. 54 THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1979
conservation and increasing energy ef-
ficiency there should be no need for new
bulk power facilities in this area. We must
insist that conservation be embraced by all
Ontarians, not just rural consumers.
We have serious reservations about
Hydro's export goals. It has been bad
enough to have rural Ontario bearing the
cost of Hydro's expansions plans sup-
posedly for Ontario Consumers...
We do not want Hydro building plants and
transmissions lines in Ontario to supply
U.S. Consumers.
We feel that Hydro's past errors must
not be forgotten. There has been poor
planning in the location of power plants
without planning for transmission lines and
then forcing lines through rural areas.
There has been an agressive overbuilding
effort, an aggresive consumption program
(live better electrically) followed by "a
conservation message from your Hydro"
and now preasure is being exerted to allow
Hydro to develop a large export program.
We question whether this erratic and self
serving behaviour has been in the best
interest of Ontarians and particularly rural
Ontarians?
Continued on P. 53
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