Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) plans to invest $2 billion in refurbishing and expanding hydroelectric generating stations across Northern Ontario to secure up to 830 megawatts of clean electricity—enough to power 830,000 homes.
The initiative supports the province’s growing energy needs, driven by electrification.
“Hydroelectric generating stations across Northern Ontario have been providing the province with clean electricity for over a century, and with today’s investment, we’re extending the life of these stations for decades more to help Ontario meet its growing electricity needs,” said Energy Minister Stephen Lecce.
According to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, electricity demand in Northern Ontario is forecast to increase by 81 percent by 2050.
To ensure it can meet this demand, OPG and its partner, Andritz Hydropower Canada, will refurbish and expand stations across Northern Ontario including: Otter Rapids, Kipling, Aguasabon, Abitibi Canyon, Manitou Falls, Cameron Falls, Ear Falls and Alexander.
Energy Minister Stephen Lecce emphasized that this investment will extend the life of these stations for decades, helping meet Ontario’s increasing electricity demand. According to the Independent Electricity System Operator, electricity demand in Northern Ontario is expected to rise by 81% by 2050.
The project will create over 1,000 skilled trades jobs in Northern Ontario over the next decade. This investment is part of a larger $4.6 billion commitment to refurbish and expand hydroelectric stations across the province, ensuring more than 5,000 MW of clean electricity and supporting 1,900 jobs.
Additionally, Ontario is extending contracts for five forest biomass electricity generation facilities and investing in new transmission infrastructure to meet future demand. Projects like the Waasigan Transmission Line and the Wataynkaneyap Power Transmission Project will help build thousands of kilometers of new lines in Northern Ontario. The province has also launched a large competitive procurement for clean energy projects with a focus on Northern Ontario.
“Thunder Bay and our province are growing quickly, and we will need more power to support new homes, new investments and new infrastructure,” said Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay—Atikokan. “I’m proud to be working with Premier Ford, Minister Lecce and Ontario Power Generation to advance these major investments in clean energy that are going to support good-paying jobs across Northern Ontario.”
Constructions at these stations will take place over the next 10 years and create more than 1,000 highly skilled, good paying jobs across Northern Ontario. Across its entire fleet, the province and Ontario Power Generation are investing a total of $4.6 billion in Northern Ontario, Niagara Region, Cornwall and Eastern Ontario to refurbish and expand existing stations, to secure more than 5,000 MW of clean electricity and support 1,900 good paying jobs.
“Many of the hydroelectric facilities OPG is refurbishing today were developed as a result of visionary thinking a century or more ago,” said Nick Pender, OPG Senior Vice President – Renewable Generation. “Through investments like this, OPG and the Province are securing low-carbon, reliable electricity generation that Ontarians will need for generations to come.”
Planned projects in Northern Ontario include:
- Forest Biomass Electricity Generation – The government has extended the contract for five existing forest biomass electricity generation facilities across Northern Ontario for five years to generate clean, reliable electricity while supporting Ontario’s forestry sector.
- New Transmission Infrastructure – The Ontario government is working with transmitters to build thousands of kilometers of new transmission lines across Northern Ontario, including the Waasigan Transmission Line, the Wataynkaneyap Power Transmission Project and the Wawa-Porcupine Transmission Line.
- Incentivizing Northern Projects in Competitive Procurements – The government launched the largest competitive procurement of clean energy resources in the province’s history, which incentivizes projects located in Northern Ontario that have community support, ensuring all parts of the province are able to benefit from the province’s growing energy sector.
