Toronto: A key part of the supply mix directive and the Ontario government’s proposed Long Term Energy Plan is the identification of high priority transmission projects. With the release of the draft directive and Plan on November 23, the high priority projects were identified as follows:
1. Upgrade (series compensation) in Southwestern Ontario, completion date 2014).
2. Upgrade (re-wiring west of London), completion date of 2014.
3. West of London (new line), completion date of 2017.
4. East-West Tie (new line), completion date of 2016-17.
5. Line to Pickle Lake, completion pending further consultation.
Although most of these projects would be difficult for a company other than Hydro One to build, it is expected that the East West Tie could be opened up to a competitive process for development and construction. If so, it would be the first transmission project to be developed under the Ontario Energy Board’s new transmission project development process. (See related story “Rebuilding Ontario’s electrical transmission system: A role for competition?” from IPPSO FACTO, November 2010.) The East West Tie would reinforce the connection between northwestern and northeastern Ontario.
A previous letter of instruction to Hydro One from September 2009 had identified more than 20 transmission projects for treatment as high priority, initiating development work in anticipation of the need to connect renewable resources in high potential areas across Ontario.