Unlocking Ontario's clean power potential
Ontario is a place of abundant lakes and rivers. For more than a century, these resources have helped create clean, reliable, and low-cost power across the province. Looking ahead, as Ontario seeks to unlock 21st century growth by electrifying its economy, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is turning once again to waterpower.
Ontario is uniquely fortunate to have significant undeveloped hydro potential. In northern rivers alone, there are about 4,000 megawatts of potential power, or enough electricity to power about 3.5 million homes.
OPG is working with local Indigenous communities to actively explore new hydroelectric development opportunities.
Working with Indigenous communities, we have an enormous opportunity to drive economic growth. New hydro will benefit the north and will spur economic activity across the province as more reliable, low-cost, clean hydro power is added to the grid. We’re committed to pursuing these projects in the right way – for Indigenous partners, the environment, and for electricity customers.Ken HartwickOPG's President and CEO
Report on northern Ontario hydroelectric opportunities
Hydroelectric power generation has been a constant, serving Ontario’s electricity needs for well over a century. It helped a growing province expand its industrial base, shaped local economies and created jobs across the province. Today, hydro and nuclear power produce more than 85% of Ontario’s total energy and remain the backbone of its grid – one of the cleanest in the world. Ontario is also fortunate to have significant untapped hydroelectric generation opportunities. This new report highlights some of these opportunities, identifies areas of high generation potential, and provides initial estimates on developing this potential.
Key findings about hydropower in northern Ontario
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cents/kWH is the average price of power from hydroelectric assets
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years of generation from hydro facilities if properly maintained and refurbished
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megawatts of potential waterpower capacity exists to explore for development
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of capital expenditures are spent in Ontario
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of lifetime operational expenditures are spent in Ontario
Beyond hydro power’s ability to efficiently enable electrification and the decarbonization of other sectors like transportation, it also provides significant benefit to our economy as 75% of capital expenditures and 90% lifetime operational expenditures are spent in Ontario. And, as we’ve learned through OPG’s existing hydroelectric partnerships with Indigenous communities, these developments bring lasting economic and social benefits to communities. They also support other broader regional economic benefits by supplying clean energy to local communities and industries like mining.
Finally, hydroelectricity can be a source of pride and confidence for Ontarians in knowing their economic future is significantly powered by a secure, domestic source of electricity. Once developed, these facilities become multigenerational, perpetual assets that provide renewable energy for generations to come.
OPG is pleased to release this report to continue the conversation about new hydroelectric opportunities in Ontario. We look forward to advancing these discussions, and potential projects, with Indigenous communities, the Ontario Waterpower Association, and industry partners.
Made-in-Ontario northern hydroelectric opportunities
Publication Date: February 09, 2023
Number of Pages: 66
Publisher: OPG
Made-in-Ontario northern hydroelectric opportunities
- Clean energy opportunities
- Economic benefits
- Foundational partnerships
- Taking action
Publication Date: February 09, 2023
Number of Pages: 66
Publisher: OPG
- Clean energy opportunities
- Economic benefits
- Foundational partnerships
- Taking action
New hydro explained
One of the biggest benefits of hydroelectricity is that it offers many decades of service life – in many cases close to a century or more. Indeed, some of the electricity powering your device right now comes from hydro assets that were built by visionary Ontarians 100 years ago.
At OPG, we are keeping this visionary spirit alive and looking far into the future. What we’ve determined is that Ontario’s electricity needs will continue to rise, especially as the province unlocks more economic growth by electrifying the economy. From EVs to heat pumps to heavy industry, electricity demand is forecast to rise in the years ahead, which is why OPG is getting to work now to meet this increased demand.
We start by fostering positive relationships with Indigenous communities and working in partnership with them to identify opportunities and development priorities. Over its 100-year history, OPG and its predecessor companies have not always done a very good job in this area. Indeed, some of our earliest hydro projects were built without any Indigenous consultation at all, and negatively impacted these communities. Over the past several decades, we’ve worked hard to change that. We’ve built lasting partnerships with Indigenous communities based on trust, respect, and shared benefits. And we recently launched our Reconciliation Action Plan to guide our relationships with Indigenous communities and businesses. It is on this basis that we will explore new hydro opportunities in the north.
These projects can take a decade or more from start to finish. That's why we're already planning. This includes working with the Independent Electricity System Operator as well as with the government to explore a future role for new hydro in long-term planning.
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