TORONTO, July 7, 2011 - Ontario has become "a global leader in the clean energy industry, creating thousands of jobs for families and cleaning up the air we breathe" according to a 2011 Progress Report   released by the provincial government.

The report states the Ontario Green Energy Act has created over 13,000 jobs and the province is on track to create 50,000 jobs by the end of 2012.

The report said the program has so far brought online 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy, about five per cent of the province's installed electricity generation.

The plan is the most comprehensive subsidy scheme for clean energy production in North America, and the report said Ontario has signed or offered more than 21,000 contracts to developers of small, medium and large clean energy projects so far.

The $20 billion figure includes a $7 billion commitment by South Korea's Samsung C&T, as well as investments already made and planned by other producers who have contracts under the province's feedin tariff (FIT), Ontario energy minister Brad Duguid said.

"Our Long-Term Energy Plan is helping create thousands of jobs in the clean energy industry across the province. As we replace dirty-coal fired power generation with cleaner sources of energy like solar, wind and bio-mass, we are establishing the province as a global leader in clean energy manufacturing." Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy

Other achievements cited in the report include:

- Replacing dirty coal-fired plants with cleaner sources of power such as wind, solar, and biomass - for the first quarter of this year, the use of coal was down 90 per cent compared to the same period in 2003. Eight coal units have been closed already, and two more will close later this year.

- Ontario's plan to eliminate coal-fired power plants is the equivalent of taking up to seven million cars off the road.

- Bringing more than 8,900 megawatts of new electricity supply online, including 2,000 megawatts from sustainable, renewable sources will provide enough power for over two million homes.

- Ontarians have saved 1,700 megawatts of electricity through conservation - the equivalent of taking half a million homes off the grid.

- In order to help the transition to a cleaner electricity system, the government is taking 10 per cent off electricity bills for families, farmers and small businesses for the next five years. The Ontario Clean Energy Benefit will save the average family about $150 per year.

- Ontario's clean energy economy has attracted more than $20 billion in new private-sector investment, such as Enbridge's Sarnia Solar Project , the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm in the world.

In an interview quoted in a Vancouver Sun article, Minister Duguid noted "You've got to remember that the bulk of the projects are still about to go under construction in the next year, so the biggest part of that job creation is yet to come."

The 50,000 job creation figure includes jobs for constructing wind and solar farms, which Duguid admitted were not permanent jobs.