On August 10, the OPA posted the final Program Rules, Contract and other program documents for the FIT 2.0 program. As of August 10, the application period for small FIT projects was projected to open on October 1, 2012, and remain open until November 30, 2012. That time frame was subsequently pushed back. An announcement of the revised dates is anticipated in the near future. For those whose FIT project is defined as “small” (typically 500 kW or smaller), there will be a requirement to submit an electronic application form during the application period, in order to be considered under the FIT 2.0 program. A hard copy version of the application and all required documents will be required within 5 business days of the submission of the electronic application. The OPA anticipates awarding 200 MW of small FIT contracts from this application period.
The OPA recommended that proponents review the final versions of the program documents carefully as the program has changed significantly. In particular, there have been several revisions made to the draft version of the FIT 2.0 rules as a result of feedback received.
In order to retain their original time stamp, proponents who had previously submitted a small FIT project application were advised that they will need to submit a revised electronic application form during the small FIT application period, followed by a hard copy submission within five business days. New small FIT project applications will also be accepted during this same period. All applications received during the application period will be reviewed according to the new FIT Program rules for compliance and for the prioritization of applications. The new rules rely extensively on a new system of priorization in which points are awarded to projects with certain characteristics, including having community and Aboriginal partnerships. Where projects have the same number of priority points, the time stamp will be used to determine the order in which projects will be tested for available transmission and distribution capacity.
Once FIT contracts have been offered to successful applicants, any FIT applications that do not receive contracts will be terminated and their time stamp will be lost. Application Security will be returned. (The security may not be returned if the application was terminated due to misrepresentation of information.) Pre-existing small FIT applications that are not resubmitted during the first application period for small FIT projects will also be terminated. In this case, the time stamp will be lost and the Application Fee will be returned. These projects can reapply with a new application within the next small FIT application period.
The timing for the large FIT project application period will be communicated once details are finalized. The OPA has posted a list of questions and answers about the revised program, which can be found on the OPA website.
The following analysis of the new rules and contract are adapted from two publications authored by Lanette Wilkinson and Matt Cameron, and released by Stikeman Elliott in August. The summary of executed contracts is provided by the OPA.
Analysis of the final FIT 2.0 rules compared to the draft FIT 2.0 rules
Summary analysis of the FIT 2.0 contract
Summary of contracts executed under FIT 1