Hydro capacity 'tightness' could cause energy shortfalls in Ontario this summer, report warns
CTV
Ontario’s electricity grid could be in a precarious spot, especially when demand spikes in a heat wave, according to a new report.
The early spring heatwave in Ottawa brought something we may be seeing more of as the summer heats up: power failures.
Ontario’s electricity grid could be in a precarious spot, especially when demand spikes in a heat wave, according to a new report.
A North American electricity regulator says Ontario is the only province in Canada that is at risk of an energy shortage, which means power outages.
"That’s all because of the tightness of the capacity situation in Ontario and that’s mainly driven by four nuclear units that are out for fairly significant refurbishment," said Jim Rob, president of the North American Electric Relability Corporation.
Rob says nuclear refurbishment at a number of sites, including Darlington, are a factor but there are risks to the province’s energy shortage including the province’s growth.
"What has been problematic for Ontario is that the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) has been looking to add capacity to the system and soliciting for new construction, but the response to that hasn’t been as robust as they had hoped," Rob said.
"Plus electrification policies that are starting to kick in, we are seeing those effects starting to kick in."
