Sunday, March 23, 2025
The Ontario government has released Ontario’s Affordable Energy Future: The Pressing Case for More Power, outlining the challenges facing the province as demand for energy continues to rapidly grow, as well as the province’s path to managing this demand.
The government also announced it would release the province’s first-ever Integrated Energy Plan with a generational horizon out to 2050, to ensure the energy sector is aligned behind the government’s pro-growth agenda to reduce costs and province-wide emissions.
According to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the province’s demand for electricity is forecast to increase by 75 per cent by 2050, the equivalent of adding four and a half cities the size of Toronto to the grid. There is also continued demand for other fuels like gasoline and natural gas, that currently play a critical role in powering our vehicles, heating our homes and attracting new jobs in manufacturing, including the automotive industry and agriculture.
Ontario’s Affordable Energy Future outlines the challenges and priorities that must be addressed in the government’s first-ever integrated energy plan to ensure the province continues to make new investments, including: integrated planning for growth that includes electricity, natural gas and other fuels, anchored by the largest expansion of non-emitting nuclear energy on the continent; an alternative to the carbon tax; announcing a new integrated energy plan by launching a significant expansion of energy efficiency programs on January 1, 2025; and, building on the province’s competitive advantage and export clean energy and technology to the world.
This integrated plan will outline the total energy required by 2050, the financial investments to deliver on the need through the province’s all-of-the-above approach to energy planning to reduce costs and province-wide emissions. The government intends to introduce legislation that would, if passed, support the implementation of this new energy plan and position the province to support electrification and energy affordability while competing for international investments which are looking for jurisdictions that provide access to clean, reliable electricity.
“Six years ago, the people of Ontario put their trust in us to end the previous government’s failed and ideologically driven energy experiments that burdened hardworking people and businesses with billions of dollars of bad deals,” said Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy Intensive Industries. “We got to work quickly on fixing the hydro mess. As a result, renewed access to clean and affordable energy has put Ontario back on the map for growing industries, but this is only driving demand for even more energy.”
To inform the province’s first integrated energy plan, the government has launched a consultation and engagement process with the public, Indigenous communities and other groups. These engagements will build on electricity generation and transmission announcements already announced as part of the province’s Powering Ontario’s Growth plan, including:
- Ontario’s Largest Competitive Energy Procurement – Advancing competitive procurement for new energy resources to Ontario’s growing energy needs.
- Nuclear Energy – Advancing reliable, affordable and clean nuclear power through pre-development work at Bruce Power, four small modular reactors at Darlington and supporting Ontario Power Generation’s plan for refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generation Station.
- New Transmission Infrastructure – Designating and prioritizing transmissions lines in Southwestern, Northeastern and Eastern Ontario that will power job creators including EV and EV battery manufacturing and clean steel production.
- Additional Competitive Procurements – A successful re-contracting of existing resources at about a 30 per cent discount and planning more competitive procurements for non-emitting electricity resources including wind, solar, hydroelectric, and bioenergy.
Industry reaction
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) applauds the Ontario government’s commitment to affordable, reliable and clean electricity in its new vision.
“It will take all forms of energy to meet growing electricity demand, but what we need right now are affordable, clean and reliable solutions that are quickly deployable, flexible and scalable. Wind and solar energy are the most affordable sources of new electricity generation that can be built today, in Ontario, across Canada, and around the world,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s president and CEO.
Minister Lecce was joined at the announcement by CanREA Board member David Eva, CEO, Capstone Infrastructure Corporation and Michèle Smith, Vice President of Business Management at CanREA Industry Leader member company, Potentia Renewables Inc.
“CanREA’s members are ready to deliver the cost-effective, scalable and flexible wind, solar and energy-storage solutions that Ontario customers need,” said Bellissimo.
CanREA also welcomes the government’s announcement today that they will release the province’s first ever long-term Integrated Energy Plan. The province’s plan will coordinate all energy resources, including electricity, natural gas and other fuels, over a long-term planning horizon to 2050.
“For Ontario, a new energy vision and a long-term integrated energy plan will help ensure that the entire energy sector is rowing in the same direction. Together, we can reduce both costs and emissions while driving Ontario’s economic growth,” said Eric Muller, CanREA’s Director for Ontario.
Going forward, CanREA will continue to collaborate with the Ontario government to advance wind energy, solar energy and energy storage, in support of Ontario’s competitive advantage as a clean energy leader.
Featured images credits: Government of Ontario
