Although all Ontarians knew that early 2014 was unusually cold, the point was driven home when the IESO released summary electricity data for 2014: Ontario’s electric demand peaked in the winter for the first time in ten years. In the years 2005-2013 summer peaks had exceeded winter peaks.
The IESO posting of electricity data for 2014 is designed to summarize key facts and highlight major trends for Ontario’s power system over the past year. Total Ontario grid-connected generator output by fuel type over the year was: Nuclear 62%; Hydro 24%; Gas/Oil 10%; and Wind 4%. All remaining fuel types were less than one per cent.
A mild summer in 2014 contributed to reduced overall consumption, which was 139.8 TWh in 2014, slightly lower than 2013 Ontario demand. As mentioned above, the province also experienced the first annual winter peak in a decade, with peak demand of 22,774 MW recorded on January 7, 2014 – still low however, compared to the last annual winter peak set in 2004, which was more than 2,200 MW higher.
The 2014 Electricity Production, Consumption and Price data is available at http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Power-Data/2014-Electricity-Production-Consumption-and-Price-Data.aspx.