THUNDER BAY — Ontario Power Generation is moving closer to finalizing the sale of its Thunder Bay Generating Station.
OPG has been negotiatiing for several months with a single party interested in acquiring the mothballed power plant and 54 acres of land.
The negotiations have now progressed to the point where OPG projects the parties will finalize the purchase agreement before year's end.
Until then, it's not releasing any information that might suggest who the proponent is.
The City of Thunder Bay has pressed OPG since the beginning of the process to choose a buyer whose plans will create the maximum benefits to the community, including jobs and economic spinoffs.
OPG has kept in frequent contact with the Community Economic Development Commission and with Mayor Bill Mauro.
If the mayor knows the identity of the buyer or the buyer's plans for the site, he's not prepared to reveal either.
In an interview Wednesday, Mauro admitted only to having "a sense of who the proponent is," saying it's not appropriate to go beyond that until OPG makes an official announcement.
The mayor added "OPG and their reps have been good in terms of disclosing who has expressed interest in the property...and there seemed to be one that would have provided the best potential – and I underscore that – for what the city would have hoped to see regarding the site."
He said the city gave feedback that that proposal was the one that would be in the best interests of the city.
OPG Thunder Bay project manager Tom Kurtz told Tbnewswatch the mayor's office and the CEDC "are well aware of what we're working on."
Kurtz said OPG has kept the city informed as best it can, and has tried hard to carry out the city's desire to see the property repurposed.
He said the negotiations with the buyer have been slowed somewhat by the need to complete some reports requested by the purchaser.
"Right now, we are expecting to finalize the agreement to purchase, and all conditions, sometime in December, and possession in Q1 of next year."
