Toronto: On April 16, Ontario’s Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli announced that the province would be initiating a review of its Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP). Explaining the reason for the review, Minister Chiarelli said, “It’s clear that we’ve made real progress. But the energy sector is constantly evolving, especially as energy consumption habits and economic conditions change. So our Long-Term Energy Plan must also evolve.” The Minister and new provincial government are placing a high priority on public consultation with respect to energy project decisions generally and in the LTEP review specifically.
The LTEP was originally produced by the Ministry of Energy in 2010 to establish guidelines for the development of generation, transmission and conservation programs in Ontario over the subsequent 20 years, to 2030. In many respects the LTEP replaced the previous Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP). It was released around the same time that an update of the IPSP was expected, and incorporated updated data and analysis from the IPSP, data maintained primarily by the Ontario Power Authority.
The Minister explained, “Our review will be based on a strong and transparent consultation process with the public, municipalities and the energy sector. We will hold consultation sessions in every region of the Province and we’ll engage with Aboriginal communities and leaders. And our consultation will include easy-to-access opportunities to comment through the web. It’s absolutely critical that we plan Ontario’s energy future with input and advice from every corner of the province. I’m sure the range of perspectives will be broad and far-reaching, and I want to highlight three of the elements that I’m looking forward to discussing.
“The first is your feedback on Ontario’s supply mix. The diversity of our electricity generation is one of the greatest strengths of our electricity system. Working together, we’ll ask ourselves broad questions about where and how Ontario should produce power in the future.
“The second element is conservation. Our government strongly feels that conservation must play a more prominent role in our energy planning. We must look beyond our surplus situation in the short term, and build a culture of conservation now and into the future. Conservation is the most efficient way that we can help ratepayers reduce their costs. Whether it’s through our innovative smart grid or home retrofitting, conservation gives ratepayers power over how much energy they use, and how much they pay for it.
“And finally, we will create a predictable and sustainable clean energy procurement process. Clean energy is essential to our energy future. Together, we’ll provide the right conditions to continue building our green energy industry.”
When it was first announced on November 23, 2010, the Long-Term Energy Plan featured the elimination of coal-fired power generation in the province by the end of 2014, installation of 10,700 MW of new non-hydro renewables by 2018, public and private capital investment estimated at $87 billion from 2010 to 2030, and tens of thousands of new jobs.
Unlike the first iteration of the IPSP, it is not clear whether the new review process will include any form of review by the Ontario Energy Board. The timeline for the process includes updating of forecasts and other data by the OPA and the IESO during spring and early summer 2013, followed by an outreach stage of public consultation, beginning in summer 2013. It is expected that the review will be complete this October.
The LTEP is expected to complement the government’s parallel initiatives to develop a new integrated regional energy planning process and increase local control over the siting of renewable energy projects. (See article “Minister asks OPA, IESO to collaborate on local input,” also in this issue of IPPSO FACTO.)