Ford government to add new wind, solar generation 5 years after cancelling contracts

Five years after the Ford government ripped up renewable energy contracts, the province’s electricity operator is set to once again turn to wind and solar projects to fill Ontario’s growing power gap.

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), which manages the province’s power supply, is set to procure 2,000 megawatts of electricity from non-emitting sources including wind, solar and hydro.

The IESO said it will also look at re-acquiring, upgrading or expanding existing facilities as it looks to generate another 3,000 MW of power in the future.

Ontario’s new power procurements are designed to fill a growing energy demand created by transit electrification and large-scale manufacturing projects that is expected to place a heavier strain on the provincial grid.

The IESO estimates demand will continue to grow by two per cent per year over the next 20 years — leaving the Ford government scrambling to ensure home and business owners don’t face blackouts or interruptions.

The return to renewable energy, however, is also an about-face for Premier Doug Ford, who railed against wind turbines and once promised to tear down every single windmill in the province.

In 2018, shortly after taking office, the government ended 750 renewable energy contracts signed by the former Liberal government, costing taxpayers $230 million in fees.

At the time the government said it cancelled the contracts because the province didn’t need the electricity and the projects were driving up prices for ratepayers.

“I’m so proud of that,” Ford said of his decision. “I’m proud that we actually saved the taxpayers $790 million when we cancelled those terrible, terrible, terrible wind turbines that really for the last 15 years have destroyed our energy file.”

The Ford government’s new procurements for wind and solar energy are expected to start in 2024.