The two distinct Stakeholder Advisory Committees (SACs) for the former IESO and the OPA recently held a co-ordinated set of meetings in preparation for a single unified operation in the future. On March 5, at a full day meeting of the two “SACs,” members identified priorities for the IESO to consider in its 2016-2018 business planning process. Some of the themes identified from the priorities include the need for an important balance between reliability and the cost of electricity over the IESO’s three year business planning period as well as a continued focus on conservation, education and stakeholder engagement.
The IESO also invited input on its draft 2015 Business Plan for the merged IESO. The minutes reflect the feedback heard on the IESO’s core responsibilities including planning, conservation, contracting, market and system operations. Other discussions at the meeting helped to shape the launch of a recent stakeholder engagement initiative, the Foundations Project: Enhancing the Value of Electricity Consumption Data.
At a February 3 joint SAC meeting, staff summarized current methods of engagement in a presentation noting the following:
• Stakeholder Advisory Committee
• Technical Panel
• Planning Committees – Local Advisory Committees
• Community Engagement – First Nations & Metis, Regional Planning
• Working Groups
• Standing Committees
• Forums (EDA sponsored)
• Public Information Sessions / Webinars
• Stakeholder Engagement Initiatives.
Meeting notes for the February 3 and March 5 meetings are available on the IESO SAC webpage at http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Stakeholder-Engagement/Stakeholder-Advisory-Committee.aspx.
And on the OPA SAC webpage at: http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Stakeholder-Engagement/OPA-Stakeholder-Advisory-Committee.aspx
The IESO has invited input from SAC and other stakeholders on a draft terms of reference available on the SAC webpages.