PortsToronto commits to 100 per cent renewable energy

TORONTO—PortsToronto has announced it will continue its commitment to environmental sustainability by signing a new three-year agreement with Bullfrog Power to provide green electricity for all its waterfront operations, including Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

The agreement will allow PortsToronto and Billy Bishop Airport to maintain their status as the only port authority and airport in Canada to be powered entirely by renewable energy.

“As a steward of Toronto’s waterfront, PortsToronto is today reaffirming our mandate to conduct operations in an environmentally responsible manner and promote the use of renewable resources through a three-year agreement that will see Bullfrog Power continue to power all of our operations – a priority for us as we strive to achieve heightened levels of sustainability for our organization,” Geoffrey Wilson, CEO of PortsToronto, said.

To meet the commitment, Bullfrog Power’s generators will inject renewable electricity into the grid to match the amount of power used by PortsToronto’s operations. PortsToronto said it reduced emissions by approximately 17 per cent using Bullfrog Power’s clean energy in 2013. The company’s power comes exclusively from a blend of EcologoM-certified wind and low-impact hydro power.

In additional to using Bullfrog’s power, PortsToronto is taking other measures to reduce its impact on the environment. It has partnered with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority on the Tommy Thompson Park Wetland Creation Project, removing approximately 150 million pounds of material each year from the Keating Channel and Toronto Harbour. It also promotes the Port of Toronto as an environmentally-friendly alternative to shipping goods to Toronto. Last year alone, the cargo delivered through the Port by ship took approximately 50,000 40-tonne trucks off Toronto’s congested roads and highways, the agency said.