TORONTO, Ontario, Canada,
September 5, 2007.
Almost half of the electricity supply in Canada’s largest province will be provided by renewables and conservation by 2025, according to a submission filed with provincial regulators.
The Ontario Power Authority filed the 20-year ‘Integrated Power System Plan’ with the Ontario Energy Board. The IPSP will be updated every three years, to provide an opportunity to adapt to the “evolving demand for electricity and opportunities or new technologies.”
Renewables, conservation, nuclear and natural gas are all cornerstones of the province’s electricity future, and 45% of electricity supply will be provided by renewable energy resources and conservation, 8% from natural gas and 47% from nuclear reactors.
Generation projects, transmission enhancements and conservation efforts will cost C$60 billion by 2025, with $15.4 for renewables, $10.2 for conservation, $26.5 for nuclear, $3.6 for natural gas and $4 billion for transmission. Of the transmission costs, $3 billion is for transmission enhancements to facilitate green power resources.
The 4,000-page submission is a roadmap for achieving “one of the most ambitious electricity conservation efforts in North America (and) a doubling of the amount of renewable energy on the grid by 2025.” It also addresses the phase-out of coal-fired generation by 2014, and the refurbishment or replacement of the province’s baseload nuclear capacity.
During development of the proposed plan, the OPA received 161 written submissions and heard from 2,200 people. The Ontario Energy Board will hold regulatory hearings to evaluate the IPSP’s adherence to government policy direction and its economic prudence, and to provide additional opportunities for public input.
“While this plan is the product of extensive consultations and planning expert advice, it has truly benefited from the insights of Ontarians from across the province,” says Amir Shalaby of OPA. “For two years we have attempted to build a shared understanding of our electricity challenges and options. The Plan, and the OEB review and approval process, will help Ontario define its choices further.”
The IPSP is the first comprehensive electricity supply plan for the province in 15 years, says the OPA. Ontario will construct as much generating capacity over the next 20 years as there is in the province today, and the plan will offset growth in peak demand arising from increased population and economic growth for the next decade.
Under the plan, the real cost-to-customer increases are expected to be 20%, although consumers who aggressively conserve will likely see a decrease in their real costs.
|
