Nanticoke coal plant burns last lump

After nearly 42 years, Southern Ontario’s last coal-fired electricity generating station has burned its final lump.

Over its lifetime, the Nanticoke plant generated enough electricity on its own to fuel the province for more than three years.

In November Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the burning of coal was going to be banned in the province, making Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to make it illegal to use the fossil fuel.

The Liberal government had pledged to have all Ontario coal plants shut down by 2009, but ended up abandoning that promised when it discovered they could not be replaced in time.

The Nanticoke plant won’t be torn down though: the province says it will hold on to it in case it is needed again. When that happens, it will burn either natural gas or biomass.