Latest news with #IESO
Ottawa Citizen
12-06-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa council votes to support new battery facility
Article content A motion on Wednesday from Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry called for proponents of the South March BESS facility to 'provide proof of municipal support to the IESO prior to Jan. 26, 2026 in order for the project proponents to meet their contractual obligations with the IESO and for the project to proceed… given the long history of this project it is appropriate for council to provide certainty to the proponents of the South March BESS facility now as to whether they will meet their contractual requirements with the IESO.' Article content Curry's motion said key economic sectors rely on 'predictable and consistent access to energy,' and a rejection of the MSR for the South March BESS 'could result in a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars of direct and indirect investment in Ottawa.' Article content The province, the IESO and local hydro utilities have 'recognized and affirmed the critical role that battery energy storage systems will play in ensuring energy certainty and reliability as electricity demands in the Ottawa region will continue to exponentially grow over the next 20 years,' Curry said. Article content Article content BESS systems 'are essential to meeting the growing electricity demands of both the city of Ottawa and the province as new infrastructure is built and transition to a more resilient low-carbon energy future,' the motion stated. Article content If the project moves ahead, the South March BESS would reside in the West Carleton ward, and Kelly said council rejected a similar proposal for Fitzroy Harbour over the 'same concerns I'm hearing today.' Article content 'The community most impacted by this installation has reached out in overwhelming numbers to demonstrate they remain uncomfortable with what is being proposed and where it is being proposed, and not one single other municipality in Ontario has been put in this position we find ourselves in today,' Kelly said. Article content 'My community is not a bunch of NIMBYs or rural residents who are resistant to change. We understand that for a multitude of reasons we must diversify our sources of energy and strengthen our grid with technologies such as battery energy storage.' Article content Article content Kelly cited the concerns raised at last week's committee meeting over 'fire and emergency response location, well water contamination and some deep disappointment in the consultation process.' Article content Kelly said many of his constituents feel 'like their voice doesn't matter and that the consultation process is meaningless.' Article content Mayor Mark Sutcliffe acknowledged the provincial initiative puts the city in an 'uncomfortable' position. Article content 'This is a provincial jurisdiction, the provincial government provides the opportunity for a municipal support resolution, but the provincial government also makes it clear that it wants to see these kinds of projects go ahead,' Sutcliffe said. 'So it puts us in an uncomfortable position of having to be a part of a process over which we don't have the ultimate jurisdiction.'
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa city council throws support behind rural battery energy storage facility
Ottawa city council overturned a unanimous rejection of a municipal support resolution (MSR) for a controversial battery energy storage system (BESS) in the South March area. Last week, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee voted unanimously to recommend council reject the support resolution for the Evolugen project on Marchurst Road following a marathon meeting that heard from dozens of public delegations opposed to building the project in that location. Issues such as the ability for emergency services to reach the site in the event of a fire, how to evacuate nearby residents, and concerns about possible contamination to the local water table were raised. On Wednesday, however, city councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of granting the municipal support resolution, following a motion by Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry, seconded by Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard. Councillors voted 20 to 3 in favour of granting the municipal support resolution. The only councillors who voted against were Wilson Lo, David Brown, and Clarke Kelly. Coun. Tim Tierney was not present for the vote. The project was initially pitched for Fitzroy Harbour, but council denied its support. It was later moved 13 kilometres away to the South March area. Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) granted Evolugen, a Gatineau-based company, a contract to build the facility, but according to Curry's motion, the company must provide proof of municipal support to the IESO before Jan. 26, 2026, in order for the project to proceed. The motion notes that a municipal support resolution is 'not a planning approval, and if approved would not commit Council to any future land use decisions with respect to the facility.' Curry said the BESS project would make the city's grid greener and provide economic benefits to Ottawa. 'Energy is the new gold,' she said, noting that demands on the electrical grid will come from a variety of sources, including the expansion of LRT and the electrification of OC Transpo's bus fleet and of City of Ottawa vehicles. The motion also notes that the Province of Ontario, the IESO, and local hydro utilities 'have recognized and affirmed the critical role that battery energy storage systems will play in ensuring energy certainty and reliability as electricity demands in the Ottawa Region will continue to exponentially grow over the next twenty years.' West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly, in whose ward the facility would be built, said the voices of Ottawa's rural residents are being ignored. 'The community most impacted by this installation has reached out in overwhelming numbers to demonstrate they remain uncomfortable with what is being proposed and where it is being proposed,' he said. 'My community is not a bunch of NIMBYs or rural residents who are resistant to change. We understand that for a multitude of reasons, we must diversify our sources of energy and strengthen our grid with technologies such as battery energy storage.' Kelly said while residents had concerns about the proposal, they were not opposed to the facility itself. 'I will never accept that what has occurred here over the last two weeks was in any way appropriate or acceptable,' he said. 'When we talked at the first rural summit in 16 years about making sure that rural voices were heard, this is exactly what we were talking about. If West Carleton was its own municipality, this project would not get an MSR for this location.' As part of the process, council approved a direction to staff to ensure that Evolugen establish a 'Community Development Fund' by entering into a host municipality responsibility agreement with the City of Ottawa, through which it would provide an amount of at least $250,000 per year if the project proceeds. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe told reporters the city is under pressure from the provincial government to approve projects like this. 'The provincial government provides the opportunity for a municipal support resolution but the provincial government also makes it clear that it wants to see these kinds of projects go ahead, so it puts us in an uncomfortable position of having to be a part of a process over which we don't have the ultimate jurisdiction and maybe in long run, it would be better if these decisions were made at the provincial level,' he said. 'Having said all that, this is neither the beginning nor the end of the process. Going forward there will be more hurdles that will need to be crossed before this goes ahead and there will be public consultation as well.' If all regulatory approvals go forward, completion of the site is expected by 2027. Evolugen's website says the facility will provide benefits to the community, including grants for local organizations, job opportunities for residents, and reduced energy costs.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario, Toronto to build new electricity transmission line to power city's downtown
Toronto is getting a third electricity transmission line to help power the city's downtown and replace aging infrastructure. The project will help support the city's growth and major transit expansions like the Ontario Line while making the city's electricity grid more reliable, said Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, at a news conference Wednesday morning. "Today is about planning ahead, about doing the hard work to make sure Toronto has the energy infrastructure needs, not just for today, but for decades to come," Lecce said. Toronto's electricity demand is expected to roughly double by 2050, with the greatest need coming from the downtown core, the province said in a news release. "That's not just because we're building new homes or the Ontario Line. It's because of the electrification of vehicles, of heating and industry," Lecce said. "It's because this city is a magnet for towers and investment and economic growth." Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has determined that the city will need a third transmission line in order to keep up with demand. The city currently gets its electricity through two transmission supply paths: one from the west at Manby Transmission Station near Kipling Road and Dundas Street, and one from the east at Leaside Transformer Station near Overlea Boulevard and Millwood Road. Those transmission lines will start to reach their capacity in the early 2030s, the news release says. The IESO is expected to make its final recommendation to the government on where the third transmission line should be built by August, after which the Ontario government will determine when construction on the project could begin. The transmission line could take between seven to 10 years to complete, Lecce said. The IESO has identified three potential options for where the new transmission line could be built: An overland route from Pickering to Leaside in Toronto. An overland route from Pickering to the Port Lands in Toronto. An underwater cable from Darlington or Pickering to the Port Lands in Toronto. The IESO will be consulting with the City of Toronto, Indigenous communities, key stakeholders and the public over the summer before it makes its final recommendation on the best option for the project, the news release says.
CBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario, Toronto to build new electricity transmission line to power city's downtown
Toronto is getting a third electricity transmission line to help power the city's downtown and replace aging infrastructure. The project will help support the city's growth and major transit expansions like the Ontario Line while making the city's electricity grid more reliable, said Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, at a news conference Wednesday morning. "Today is about planning ahead, about doing the hard work to make sure Toronto has the energy infrastructure needs, not just for today, but for decades to come," Lecce said. Toronto's electricity demand is expected to roughly double by 2050, with the greatest need coming from the downtown core, the province said in a news release. "That's not just because we're building new homes or the Ontario Line. It's because of the electrification of vehicles, of heating and industry," Lecce said. "It's because this city is a magnet for towers and investment and economic growth." 3rd line needed to keep up with demand Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has determined that the city will need a third transmission line in order to keep up with demand. The city currently gets its electricity through two transmission supply paths: one from the west at Manby Transmission Station near Kipling Road and Dundas Street, and one from the east at Leaside Transformer Station near Overlea Boulevard and Millwood Road. Those transmission lines will start to reach their capacity in the early 2030s, the news release says. The IESO is expected to make its final recommendation to the government on where the third transmission line should be built by August, after which the Ontario government will determine when construction on the project could begin. The transmission line could take between seven to 10 years to complete, Lecce said. The IESO has identified three potential options for where the new transmission line could be built: An overland route from Pickering to Leaside in Toronto. An overland route from Pickering to the Port Lands in Toronto. An underwater cable from Darlington or Pickering to the Port Lands in Toronto.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario electricity produced with rising percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power
Power lines are seen against cloudy skies near Kingston, Ont., on Sept. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld TORONTO — Ontario's electricity is now being produced with the highest percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power since coal plants were operating in the province. The Independent Electricity System Operator recently posted its 2024 year in review, which contains a breakdown of how much electricity was produced from various sources. It shows that last year 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario's grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free – down from 87 per cent the year before and down from a high of 96 per cent in 2017. The last time Ontario's electricity was produced with at least 16 per cent of emitting power was in 2012, when the province still had coal-fired generation. Nuclear led the way in 2024, with 51 per cent of Ontario's electricity generated by those plants, and about 24 per cent came from hydro power. The percentage of natural gas generation in Ontario's electricity system has been increasing over the past several years. The IESO says gas provides more flexibility than many other sources, and more is being used while some nuclear units undergo refurbishments so the system remains stable. 'Outages to nuclear generation from this work combined with reduced supply from imports also resulted in gas generation's higher contribution to overall output in 2024,' the IESO said in its report. Aliénor Rougeot, climate and energy senior program manager at Environmental Defence, said the need to resort to gas to fill in the gaps was preventable if Ontario had acted sooner to boost renewable energy and battery storage. 'I think this is one of those key moments that is extremely upsetting and yet super predictable, which is that the energy planning and the poor decisions that get made five, eight years prior to that now are starting to show up in those supply mixes,' she said. Premier Doug Ford cancelled 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after his Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2018, after the former Liberal government had faced widespread anger over long-term contracts with clean power producers at above-market rates. The IESO had been set in 2023 to seek out non-emitting electricity generation to bring more capacity into the system but after Energy Minister Stephen Lecce came into the portfolio in 2024, he announced the procurement would be 'technology agnostic.' Critics said that not only opens the door to natural gas but may favour bringing more of it online. Lecce said the rise in non-emitting electricity generation is 'entirely predictable' due to the ongoing nuclear refurbishments. 'Having said that, we're actually going to have a greener, cleaner grid, getting down to below 99 per cent non-emitting by 2050,' he said. 'So this is part of the journey as we take our non-emitting nuclear units off the grid, because they need to get refurbished for another 40, 50 years.' The government often touts Ontario's clean electricity grid as a top selling point when attracting businesses and investment to the province, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he's not sure that at 84 per cent clean it is as attractive as it once was. 'I'm deeply concerned that our grid has gotten 12 per cent dirtier over the last few years, especially when the government itself says that one of the competitive advantages Ontario has in attracting global capital investment is our clean grid,' he said. 'The Ford government is losing that advantage at a time we need to be attracting capital more now than ever.' Lecce said the electricity grid is still a good selling feature and will only get better. 'When we're getting to near 99 per cent, it's an incredible achievement that no industrialized economy can point to,' he said. 'We're very proud of the fact that we have one of the cleanest grids today. We'll have an even cleaner grid tomorrow as we get our nuclear fleets back.' In addition to ongoing and planned refurbishments of units at the province's large-scale nuclear plants, construction on the first of four small modular reactors is set to begin this year. The $21-billion project for the four reactors is expected to produce enough power for 1.2 million homes. Stephen Thomas, clean energy manager at the David Suzuki Foundation, said that small modular reactors are one of the most expensive generation options. But natural gas can also be expensive, and the province should be looking more at renewables, he said. 'We think wind and solar are ready for prime time,' he said. 'As we look to the future, we only see the cost of wind, solar and storage coming down over time, and we see the opposite for natural gas. The cost of natural gas is hugely volatile, and it's hard to depend on what the spot price of natural gas might be in 10 years or 20 years.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
