Ontario to export energy

The Ontario government is putting forth a new plan that will allow the province to become a net exporter of electricity by 2030, which would be a major shift from its current status as a net importer. The plan calls for 20,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity to be added to the grid, in which sources would include hydroelectricity plants, solar farms, wind turbines and natural gas-powered plants. This would be spread over the next decade. The Ontario government has been criticized for not being aggressive enough in implementing renewable energy projects thus far; it remains to be seen whether this new plan will prove to be sufficient in helping Ontario meet its targets for reducing emissions.

The plan also includes a commitment from the provincial government to update its Long Term Energy Plan (LTEP), which was last published in 2014 but has been delayed until 2017 due to political uncertainty. While the LTEP covers several different areas of the energy industry and how they fit together and influence policy, it does not specifically address renewable energy sources, so this update will be particularly interesting to follow.

While Ontario's electricity market is highly regulated by the provincial government and OPG, one thing that remains uncertain is what will happen regarding hydroelectric projects on First Nations land.