Government of Canada Invests $16.7 Million to Support Ontario's Power Grid Operator With Delivering Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy

TORONTO, March 6, 2024 /CNW/ - As more people in Ontario ride electrified public transit, shift to electric vehicles and adopt electric heat pumps, and as Ontario businesses and industries continue to green their operations, an abundant supply of clean, reliable and affordable electricity is needed. In fact, Ontario's electricity grid operator, the IESO, expects that Ontario's electricity needs will increase by 40 percent over the next two decades. Integrating new and emerging technologies into Ontario's electricity grid will help deliver more electricity to Ontario homes and businesses reliably and affordably, while decarbonizing Ontario's electricity system.

To this end, today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a $16.7-million federal investment for a project by Ontario's power grid operator that will strengthen its electricity grid operations. Federal funding for the project will specifically help IESO increase the number and diversity of clean energy resources that can participate in delivering electricity in Ontario, which will give Ontario households and businesses greater access to more reliable, cost-effective and clean options to meet rising demand.

Some improvements that will be made possible through this federal funding include:

• Providing the IESO's Control Centre with real-time data on the state of charge of battery storage facilities, so that electricity system operators are aware of how much stored energy is available at any given moment;
• Enabling aggregators to consolidate smaller resources in different cities and communities around Ontario to collectively bid into Ontario's electricity markets;
• Allowing supply as small as 100 kW in Ontario's electricity markets (e.g., a manufacturing plant's roof-top solar array).

Federal funding for this project is provided through the Government of Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs), which is supporting smart renewable energy, energy storage and electrical grid modernization projects across the country. The SREPs program is one of many initiatives that the Government of Canada is undertaking to deliver clean, reliable and affordable power to every region of Canada by 2035. For example, through NRCan's Electricity Pre-Development Program, Minister Wilkinson announced a federal investment of $50 million last week to support Bruce Power's assessment of new generation opportunities at its site in Tiverton, Ontario. This funding will enable the exploration of a project that could produce power for up to 4,800,000 homes and businesses in Ontario and represents more than 25 percent of the new nuclear capacity required for Ontario to meet its clean electricity needs in 2050, as recommended by the IESO.

The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are also continuing to work collaboratively on the draft Clean Electricity Regulations, as they have since the first draft was released, to address the concerns raised by Ontario's expert system planners with the goal of ensuring the final regulation will maintain Ontarians' access to a reliable, affordable and clean electricity system.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with experts and governments to position Canada, including Ontario, as a global supplier of clean energy and new technologies, while creating new economic opportunities, good jobs, and a clean, reliable, affordable electrical grid for all.

"Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity is a critical step in driving down emissions and seizing the economic opportunities that will be enabled through the shift to a clean economy. Canada has one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world, and we are continuing to invest, innovate and collaborate to maintain and strengthen this competitive advantage. Today's investment is an important part of these efforts and will help ensure that people and businesses in Ontario can continue to have access to affordable, reliable and clean electricity well into the future."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources 

"Our government has been putting shovels in the ground to build new electricity generation and storage, including the largest procurement of clean energy storage projects in Canada's history. Today's investment will help accelerate the work Ontario's expert planners are already doing to integrate these energy storage projects and other innovative technologies into our grid to help power new homes and businesses across the province."  

The Honourable
Todd Smith Ontario Minister of Energy

"Innovation is central to the energy transition. We have already made significant progress in preparing for greater decentralization and diversification to accommodate greater numbers of energy storage, hybrids and community-based energy projects on the grid. This funding will help us increase our efforts and integrate the substantial amount of new clean energy projects that will, in just a few years' time, be ready to help power homes and businesses across the province."

Lesley Gallinger
President and CEO, IESO

• The IESO operates Ontario's power grid 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring Ontarians receive a reliable and cost-effective source of power when and where they need it. It works with sector partners and engages with communities across Ontario to plan and prepare for the province's electricity needs now and into the future.
• The governments of Canada and Ontario are working together on the Canada-Ontario Regional Table collaboration framework, with priorities that include joint actions on electrification, critical minerals, hydrogen, nuclear and forestry, as well an improved permitting process and increased regulatory effectiveness and efficiency to get clean energy projects online in time to meet rising demand.

• Independent Electricity System Operator
• Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program 
• Powering Canada Forward: Building a Clean, Affordable, and Reliable Electricity System for Every Region in Canada
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy
• Canada's Sustainable Jobs Plan? 
• Budget 2023: Investing in Clean Electricity 

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada