Ontario calls for 930 MW of renewable power
April 5, 2016
By
CCE
Ontario has launched another drive for large renewable energy projects, seeking up to 930 MW of renewable energy in solar photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric and bioenergy sources.
The province says it will issue a request for qualifications on August 1 under Phase II of its Large Renewable Procurement program, which replaced the large Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program.
Working with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the province announced just last month that it had offered contracts under phase 1 to 16 projects to produce 455 MW of renewable energy.
The phase 2 targets are 600 MW of wind, 250 MW of solar PV, 50 MW of hydroelectricity and 30 MW of bioenergy.
The IESO process will first involve surveys, webinars and meetings with industry associations, municipal associations and Indigenous communities. Projects that have local support, have competitive price and involve First Nations and Metis will be the focus.
Since 2003 when Ontario launched its renewable nergy initiatives, it has attracted billions of dollars in private investment, generated an estimated 42,000 jobs. There are ore than 30 solar and wind manufacturers now operating in the province.
