Goreway Power Station is a natural gas power station in Brampton, Ontario. It is owned by Capital Power. Gas is supplied by underground pipelines from a nearby Enbridge facility.[2]

Goreway Power Station
Map
Country
  • Canada
LocationBrampton, Ontario
Coordinates43°44′46″N 79°40′48″W / 43.74611°N 79.68000°W / 43.74611; -79.68000
StatusOperational
Construction began4 Apr 2006
Commission date11 Jun 2009
Construction cost$1.1 billion CAD[1]
Owner(s)Capital Power Corporation
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Cooling sourceAir cooling
Combined cycle?Yes
Power generation
Units operational3 × GE 7001FB gas turbines
1 × Siemens SST-5000 steam turbine
Nameplate capacity875 MW

Description edit

At 875 MW the plant is the second largest gas fired station in Canada behind the Greenfield Energy Centre in Courtright, Ontario and consists of:

History edit

The Goreway Power Station was developed by Sithe Global Power, a subsidiary of Blackstone Inc. Sithe entered into a twenty-year production agreement with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to supply electricity to the Greater Toronto Area. Construction of the $942 million facility began in late 2005 and was expected to be completed by June 2007, with full combined cycle operations to begin in July 2008.[4] Construction was financed by TD Securities and RBC Capital Markets and the plant was built by SNC-Lavalin.[5] In 2007, SNC-Lavalin told Sithe that it could not complete construction on time due to the bankruptcy of an equipment supplier.[5][6]

The power station entered service on 11 June 2009.[7]

In 2015, Goreway had settled with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to repay an undisclosed amount for exploiting loopholes in the wholesale energy market over several years. In 2017, the Ontario Energy Board reported that Goreway had benefitted by approximately $120 million. Ontario Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault reported that Goreway had repaid $91 million out of a $100 million repayment penalty.[8] Goreway was also fined $10 million.[9][10]

In 2023, Capital Power sought to increase the capacity of the power plant by 40 MW. The proposed increase is intended to be achieved through upgrades to parts within the gas turbine.[11] The proposal was criticised by environmentalists for threatening "Brampton's goal of reducing corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030." However, the IESO defended the proposed expansion on the grounds that there were "no like-for-like replacements with similar operating flexibility for natural gas generation."[12]

In October 2023, the Toronto Star reported that the Goreway plant, which was intended to only operate during peak periods of electricity demands, had been running for 10–15 hours each day between 2019 and 2023.[13]

Ownership edit

On 4 September 2009, Chubu Electric Power and Toyota Tsusho each acquired a 25 per cent stake in Sithe Global Power. On 3 March 2011, Sithe Global Power announced that it had sold its remaining 50 per cent stake to Chubu Electric and Toyota Tsusho.[14] In June 2019, Capital Power acquired the power station from Goreway Power Station Holdings Inc., a joint venture of JERA and Toyota Tsusho.[15][16] The transaction was valued at ¥32 billion (USD 289 million).[17][18]

References edit

  1. ^ "Goreway Station sold off". BramptonGuardian.com. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Plant Website". Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  3. ^ "CCGT Plants in Canada - other provinces". Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  4. ^ "Sithe Global Power LLC, 80% owned by the Blackstone Group, closes financing of Goreway Station, an 880MW power generating facility in Brampton, Ontario". Blackstone. 2006-02-02. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  5. ^ a b "Sithe tests Ontario Goreway natgas power unit". Reuters. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  6. ^ "SNC-Lavalin in red on power project loss". CBC. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Sithe Ontario Goreway natgas plant enters service". Reuters. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  8. ^ Jones, Allison (5 December 2017). "Ontario natural gas plant 'gamed' system out of $100M: OEB report". Global News. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  9. ^ Ferguson, Rob (5 December 2017). "Brampton power plant 'gamed' Ontario electricity system for millions, fined $10M". Toronto Star. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  10. ^ Crawley, Mike (5 December 2017). "Power company 'gamed' $100M from Ontario's electricity system, investigation reveals". CBC. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  11. ^ "Notice of Commencement of An Environmental Review - Goreway Power Station Upgrades Project" (PDF). Capital Power. May 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  12. ^ Bhugra, Saloni (4 November 2023). "If this Brampton gas plant expands production, can the city still meet its emissions targets?". CBC. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  13. ^ Oved, Marco Chown; Bailey, Andrew (1 October 2023). "Ontario gas plants were supposed to run only during peak periods. Instead they're running most of the time, polluting the air you breathe". Toronto Star. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Sithe Global Power Announces Sale of its 50% Stake in Goreway Station to Affiliates of Chubu Electric Power Company and Toyota Tsusho Corporation". www.businesswire.com. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  15. ^ "Goreway Power Station". Capital Power. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  16. ^ "Toyota Tsusho to sell shares in Goreway Gas Thermal IPP Project, Canada". Toyota Tsusho Corporation. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
  17. ^ "Japan's Toyota Tsusho, JERA to sell Canada's Goreway power station for $289 million". Reuters. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Capital Power completes acquisition of Goreway Power Station". Capital Power. Retrieved 2024-05-21.

External links edit