THUNDER BAY — New mining projects are expected to generate a sharp increase in the demand for electricity in Northwestern Ontario by 2050.
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator says that’s why it’s launching public consultations prior to developing a new regional electricity plan.
IESO announced the project Tuesday, saying it’s driven by a recently-concluded forecast that the area north of Dryden will need at least twice the amount of power it currently uses, and “significantly more” under some higher growth scenarios.
“What we’re seeing is a significant increase in industrial demand growth, specifically from mining and mineral extraction. We’re also seeing that communities are growing, because as mines locate in communities there’s a lot of secondary growth from new housing for workers and their families, and more services to ensure the mine can operate,” said Beverly Nollert, director of transmission integration for IESO.
Both wire and non-wire solutions will be considered during the study.
“Wire solutions include things like facilities that manage voltage, or new poles and wires for transmission lines. But we also look at non-wire solutions which can entail things such as incremental demand-side management,” Nollert said.
“It can look like a locally-sited supply resource, such as battery storage, or other forms of storage with solar and wind. We do look at all those things as part of the planning process.”
She said forecasting the demand is the first step, followed by an evaluation of the capacity of the existing infrastructure to reliably meet the projected demand.
“If the existing system is not capable of meeting all that demand, we will then explore options.”
Consultations with stakeholders are expected to begin by December.
Nollert said IESO will engage with industry, consumers, municipalities and Indigenous communities at various stages of the project.
“This is a great opportunity…to provide input into our plan for the Northwest, to make sure we’re reflecting the local characteristics, local preferences, and ensure we have a robust plan to meet the needs in the Northwest over the long term,” she said.