Nanticoke Generating Station

Former coal fired power station in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada
the defunct coal fired power station

The Nanticoke Generating Station was a coal fired power station in Nanticoke, Ontario in operation from 1972 to 2013. It was the largest coal power station in North America and, at full capacity, it could provide 3,964 MW of power into the southern Ontario power grid from its base in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada, and provided as much as 15% of Ontario's electricity. It was decommissioned in 2013 as part of the Government of Ontario's commitment to eliminate coal power. A 44 MW photovoltaic power station, the Nanticoke Solar Facility, was built on the site and entered service in 2019. Prior to the commencement of decommissioning, Nanticoke was one of Canada's top ten single sources of greenhouse gases.

The Nanticoke Generating Station was built on the site of the "Battle of Nanticoke", where in 1813 the Norfolk volunteer militia routed a band of American marauders who had been pillaging area farms and terrorizing the country, an exploit that inspired the British military forces and the people of Upper Canada during the War of 1812. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924. Ontario Hydro revealed plans to build a 4,000 MW fossil fuel generating station near Long Point, Ontario in 1967. Its current site was selected in Nanticoke, Ontario, because of the nearby harbour, the proximity of United States coal supplies, and proximity to much of Ontario's population.) The remaining four units are not in operation. Previously, power generation at this plant was on a stand by basis, only operating during peak levels of energy consumption, or when other generating facilities are unavailable. At other times the plant would remain idle. Cooling water for the plant was drawn from Lake Erie using two pipes that are 6.5 m in diameter, stretch 550 m offshore, and sit 10 m below the surface. The plant had two multi flue smokestacks which were both 198 m (650 ft) tall. A dock on the shore of the site allows ships to deliver coal to an on site stock pile, which can hold up to 4.5 megatonnes. At its peak, Nanticoke employed approximately 634 staff from the Haldimand—Norfolk area.