It wasn't exactly what many east-enders and our mayor were campaigning for. Hopes for parkland and residential development at the waterfront near Cherry Beach were dashed as details of a deal to replace the now defunct Hearn Power Plant with a new gas-fired, 550-megawatt behemoth were revealed. With increased energy needs and the threat of shortages looming, the agency managing the province's power supply suggests that the new plant is needed. The new power generating station will be running at half capacity by summer 2008 and is expected to be fully operational by the summer of 2009.

Does this mean that we'll see a new, giant plume of smoke from the beach? How will the islanders react to the news? When (if at all) will the old Hearn and its skyscraping stacks come down?

Back in November, I visited the abandoned Hearn plant and took a few photographs of what remains within. The 1000-megawatt plant was taken out of operation in 1983, following concerns about air pollution and an abundance of energy supply in Ontario. A slideshow of it's decaying interior follows.

(photography by Jerrold Litwinenko)