Minister of energy comes to town - checks out the Hydro operations centre and likes the look of the electric cars being used in a pilot project.

By Pepper Parr

February 2nd, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

The Minister of Energy, Glenn Thibeault, came to town to look over the operations at Burlington Hydro. He closeted himself with the hydro board of director for a chat and then came out to tour the property and see what Burlington is going about the way energy is used and distributed.

Energy Minister Glen Thibeault touring the Burlington Hydro facility with Colin Saunders, Director, Safety, Health and Facilities..

Thibeault, was at one point MP for the federal New Democratic Party. He was coaxed by the Liberals into running for them. He quit his job and his party to carry the Liberal banner in Sudbury for February, 2015 by-election.

There was a bit of a scandal that involved the Premiers deputy Chief of Staff Patricia Sorbara who was expected to run the 2018 campaign and is now facing criminal charges for offering Thibeault a bribe. That case has yet to go to trial

Thibeault was a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2015 to 2016. On June 13, 2016, Thibeault replaced Bob Chiarelli as Minister of Energy in a Liberal cabinet shuffle.

Thibeault is now touring the province to get a close up look at how energy is distributed in the province.

Burlington Hydro operations centre

He got to see the co-location set up hydro has, a unit that looks a little like a box car that uses natural gas to heat and air condition the hydro office on Brant Street.

Time was spent showing off the two BMW electric powered cars Burlington Hydro leased to loan to people so they can gather data on how people would use this type of vehicle.

The cars were loaned to members of city council for a week each – they got a sense as to what it is like to drive electric.

Large large interactive screen that can show live pictures of parts of the distribution system – this image is of the full distribution network.

Provincial MP and cabinet minister Eleanor McMahon got in behind the wheel – they didn’t’ let her put it in gear – might she get to use one of the things for a period of time? Smart move – she won’t run out of gas with an all-electric.

The Minister of Energy was shown the electric charging stations that Burlington Hydro bought as part of their pilot project to learn more about what the demands on the hydro distribution are going to be when electric vehicles become the prime mode of transportation for many people.

Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault with Hydro president Gerry Smallegange looking at the map that shows the part of the distribution system that hydro had to replace during the 2013 ice storm. Replacement cable had to be hauled by hand up a steep slope with snow up to the knees of the line men.

Media also got a close up look at the Operations Centre – the room where all the parts come together – where everything is monitored and controlled.

In one corner of the room is a large screen (all the screens were large) with the Weather Chanel – weather determines to a very large degree the demands that are made on hydro.

In another part of the Operations Centre there was a screen the size of a large living room wall that sets out the distribution network. It is a partially interactive screen that can shift to Google earth and get a close look at some of the hydro towers.