TORONTO, May 13, 2008 -- Canada NewsWire
The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is building on the success of existing
renewable energy programs by outlining today its next steps toward doubling
the province's supply of green electricity.
Increasing the amount of renewable energy in Ontario's electricity supply is
a key part of the province's energy plan. By 2025, the goal is to have
15,700 megawatts (MW) of renewable power on-line, double the amount in 2005.
Today, the OPA unveiled a schedule for three imminent large-scale
procurements and another standard offer program, totaling more than 1,100
megawatts in new renewable and clean energy. These will include the addition
of 600 MW of renewable projects and more than 500 MW of clean energy and
combined heat and power projects...
- Renewable Energy Supply (RES III) (week of June 2)
- Combined Heat and Power II (CHP II) (week of May 12)
- Renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP III) (week of June 2)
- Clean Energy Standard Offer Program (CESOP) (week of May 26)
The OPA also unveiled proposed changes to its Renewable Energy Standard
Offer Program (SOP) to ensure the program - the largest of its kind in North
America - continues to offer opportunities for small projects such as wind,
solar, bio-mass and water power projects under 10MW, to contribute renewable
power to Ontario's grid.
The Renewable Energy SOP has exceeded all expectations. The program achieved
more than 1,300 MW of contracted projects in a little more than a year. When
the Renewable Energy SOP was launched in 2006, it was expected to develop
1000 MW over 10 years.
"The response to this program for small renewable energy projects has been
incredible," said Ontario Minister of Energy Gerry Phillips. "We are
committed to expanding on that success by creating new opportunities for
renewable energy and improving accessibility to the grid across the
province."
To ensure the program's ongoing success, the OPA will immediately move
forward on its planned program review. To begin the review process, the OPA
has identified four key areas in which the Renewable Energy SOP can be
improved.
The four key areas identified by the OPA as needing immediate attention are:
- Making the Renewable Energy SOP more efficient by requiring that projects
meet certain interim project deadlines. This will enable other project
developers to move ahead in the standard offer program in order to get new
renewable generation online more quickly.
- Making the Renewable Energy SOP open to more participants by restricting
proponents to a single 10 MW project per transformer station. The new
procurements announced today create new opportunities for larger developers.
- Encouraging broader participation in the Renewable Energy SOP by limiting
any proponent to a maximum of 50 MW under development per energy source at
any one time.
- Implementing a number of administrative revisions to the Renewable Energy
SOP, in response to stakeholder concerns, to improve overall efficiency and
simplify the program.
Effective today, the OPA announced that it would be processing Renewable
Energy SOP applications under the new principles and revised contract, which
will be developed and finalized through the consultations. Applications that
were received by the close of business May 12th, 2008, will be unaffected by
these changes and processed under the earlier system. Current and future
applications from micro-scale generators (up to 10 kilowatts) and small,
farm-based biomass projects up to 250 kilowatts will continue to be
processed under the existing rules.
The OPA will engage with stakeholders on the proposed improvements and is
committed to implementing any resulting changes quickly. The consultations
will serve as a forum for stakeholders to suggest further improvements to
the Renewable Energy SOP.
STAKEHOLDER WEBCONFERENCE
The first in a series of stakeholder teleconferences will take place on
Tuesday, May 13 at 9:00 a.m., to provide more detail on the proposed rule
changes. To participate: call 416-849-6206 or 1-866-253-4737 or find http://events.thestreamingnetwork.com/opa/051308/index.php.
MEDIA TECHNICAL BRIEFING
There will also be a special technical briefing for media on Tuesday, May 13
at 1:00 p.m. The contact numbers are: 416-849-6206 or 1-866-253-4737; or
find http://events.onlinebroadcasting.com/opa/051308a/index.php.
For more information on OPA procurement activities in general and the
Renewable Energy SOP specifically - including upcoming web conferences -
find www.powerauthority.on.ca/sop.
The Renewable Energy SOP - the largest and first of its kind in North
America - is a collaboration of the Ministry of Energy, OPA, the Ontario
Energy Board, Local Distribution Companies and organizations promoting
renewable energy. The guiding principles of the Renewable Energy SOP are
simplicity, removing barriers to participation by smaller projects,
supporting Ontario's renewable generation targets and providing value to
electricity users across the province.
SOURCE: Ontario Power Authority
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