More than 454 MW of large solar, wind and hydro projects will be added to Ontario’s electricity grid after the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced the results of its Large Renewable Procurement on March 10.
There were 16 contracts offered to the likes of SkyPower, BluEarth Rewewables, EDF EN Canada, Invenergy, Renewable Energy Systems Canada, SunEdison and others. In total, the IESO awarded contracts totally 454.885 MW of capacity.
- five wind contracts totalling 299.5 MW, with a weighted average price of $0.0859/kWh;
- seven solar contracts totalling 139.885 MW, with a weighted average price of $0.1567/kWh; and
- four hydroelectric contracts totalling 15.5 MW, with a weighted average price of $0.1759/kWh.
“This LRP process introduced strong competition among developers of large renewable projects, helping to drive down price and secure clean, reliable generation for the province,” said Bruce Campbell, president and CEO of the IESO.
A large majority of the projects (80% of them or 13 in total) had participation from one or more Aboriginal communities, including five with more than 50% Aboriginal participation. Three-quarters of winning bids received support from local municipalities and 60% of them had support from abutting landowners.
The full list of contract offers, including project locations and contact information, can be viewed HERE.
The development and design of the program’s requirements, including those for community and municipal engagement, were informed by broad engagement with municipalities, Aboriginal communities, industry associations, the general public and other stakeholders.
The LRP program requirements were designed to strike a balance between early community engagement and achieving value for ratepayers. Local support – either from the municipality, Aboriginal community and/or from landowners abutting the project – was a factor in project evaluation.
The price ranges for the contracts in each fuel category are:
- wind - approximate weighted price range of $0.0645 to $0.1055/kWh;
- solar - approximate weighted price range of $0.1415 to $0.1785/kWh;
- hydroelectric -- approximate weighted price range of $0.1735 to $0.1770/kWh.