ONTARIO WATERPOWER ASSOCIATION
Waterpower Confirmed as Key to Ontario's Electricity Future

The Ontario Waterpower Association's (OWA) 17th annual Power of Water Canada conference and tradeshow, being held this week (10/23) in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is now underway. Once again the conference is the largest gathering of the hydroelectric sector in Canada. This year's opening keynote speaker, the Honourable Glenn Thibeault Minister of Energy confirmed the increasing importance of waterpower to meeting the province's energy needs.

"We know there's plenty of opportunity to better leverage the existing waterpower assets that are found right here in Ontario, either through retrofitting existing dams, or taking advantage of new turbine technology such as the very low head turbines to capture more of the waterpower potential available in our province." said Minister Thibeault. "We also know that to better accommodate more flexible electricity system, we must better leverage the province's pumped storage potential."

The Minister also made the link to the government's environmental agenda in his remarks. "Waterpower, as the largest member of our renewable energy family, is helping us meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets in the province's Climate Change Action Plan."

"I am extremely pleased with the Minister's recognition of and support for waterpower," said Paul Norris, President of the OWA. "It is clear that waterpower expansion will play an integral role in the achievement of the province's energy and environmental objectives."      

The Power of Water Canada Conference is an annual event attracting participants from across Ontario and Canada, the United States and around the globe.

The OWA was founded in 2001 to represent the common and collective interests of the province's original green energy sector - waterpower. More than 160 members are committed to advancing resource management and sustainable development.