The Ontario Power Authority is working with the Ministry of Energy and the Independent Electricity System Operator helping to implement the recommendations of a report, Engaging Local Communities in Ontario’s Electricity Planning Continuum, on the regional planning and siting of large energy infrastructure projects in Ontario. The Ontario government has accepted all 18 recommendations in the report, which was released this past August by the OPA and the IESO.
The OPA believes the recommendations will help ensure that large energy infrastructure projects are properly located, improve municipal and public engagement and ensure greater predictability for the energy sector.
“The recommendations offer the potential for more insightful and effective electricity planning at the regional and municipal levels,” said Amir Shalaby, Vice-President, Power System Planning, at the OPA. “This will allow us to better understand how municipalities plan and to better explain what drives electricity planning for municipalities.”
The three core recommendations call for early and frequent community outreach, local voice and local responsibility, and more inter-ministerial coordination. The recommendations are designed to bring communities to the table, link local and provincial planning, reinforce the planning/siting continuum, and enhance electricity awareness and improve access to information.
The OPA has already started incorporating the recommendations that are within its mandate. For example, it has been engaging with local communities, municipal governments, First Nation and Métis communities and others in developing new regional plans. Eight of these plans are now under way across Ontario. The OPA has also launched new interactive web pages for its regional planning initiatives. These pages will provide up-to-date information on the initiatives taking place in Ontario’s 21 electricity regions.
The OPA has been working to enhance electricity awareness by improving access to information through its website. It has also been increasing access to its data by making it available to consumers, industry, municipal planners and academic researchers.
In a related initiative, the government recently launched emPOWERme, a new, interactive website to help energy consumers take charge of the power they use by better understanding the province’s electricity system. It also launched an “Open Government” initiative to provide easier access to and sharing of public information.
Consistent with the report’s recommendations on enhancing support for community energy planning, the OPA worked with Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST) over the past year to develop a primer to assist communities as they develop their community energy plans. The primer, published in November, provides context for energy planning in Ontario, including an overview of opportunities for collaboration across municipal energy planning and provincial/regional electricity planning.
Some recommendations will require coordination with other ministries. For example, the Ministry of Energy, the OPA and the IESO have been working with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to identify ways to ensure that electricity infrastructure is an important element of the Provincial Policy Statement.
Earlier this year, the government asked the OPA and the IESO to work together to develop recommendations for a new integrated regional energy planning process that would focus on improving how large energy infrastructure projects are sited in Ontario. Work was completed over the summer and the agencies submitted a report to the Minister of Energy on August 1.
The OPA and IESO engaged key stakeholders and associations that represented a broad range of interests, including First Nation and Métis groups, municipalities, local distribution companies, community leaders and the public. From within these groups, the OPA and IESO invited Ontario chiefs, Métis leaders, mayors, planners, developers, consumer groups, chambers of commerce and boards of trade, business improvement associations, residential and ratepayer associations, and community groups to provide feedback.
— From OPA news Arc-Dec-2013.pdf