ERO #019-3471 "We are…

ERO #019-3471

"We are proposing to repeal three sets of legislative provisions in the Electricity Act, 1998 (EA) and the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 (OEBA) that promote and prioritize renewable energy generation projects."

“Prioritizing renewable generation is no longer appropriate. Going forward, Ontario will ensure value for ratepayers by allowing all resources to compete to meet system needs.”

It’s high time that renewable energy was not prioritized and ratepayers were given the best value by allowing all types of energy generation to compete to meet the system’s needs.

“These actions would remove priority timelines for LDCs and the IESO to complete complex grid connection assessments for renewable energy projects and bring consistency for all generation types seeking similar assessments. Removing these provisions would help make Ontario more competitive by cutting red tape and reducing regulatory burden…”

Consistency for all generation types seeking similar assessments is a good plan and especially when it makes Ontario more competitive by cutting red tape and further reducing burdens of regulations. Repealing this section is a good idea.

“Second, we propose to repeal sections 26 (1.1), (1.2) and (1.3) of the EA, and paragraph 1 of subsection 70(2.1) of the OEBA, which create the authority to make a regulation that would provide priority grid access for renewable energy generation facilities. No regulation was made under this authority, so this prioritization was never implemented.”

Renewable energy was given priority on the grid when the Green Energy Act was implemented. The IESO’s Generators Output and Capability Reports show when wind is blowing hard, hydro and nuclear are sometimes curtailed. Renewable energy should never be given priority and since a regulation was never made it should be repealed.

“Third, we propose to repeal paragraph 2 of section 96(2) of the OEBA, which requires the OEB to consider the promotion of energy from renewable sources when determining if a Leave to Construct application for an electricity transmission project is in the public interest. Repealing this paragraph will focus the scope of the OEB's Leave to Construct hearings on the topics of price, reliability, and quality of service.”

I agree that this paragraph should be repealed as the OEB’s hearings should always focus only on price, reliability and quality of service.

Since 2009, the loss of billions and billions of dollars to ratepayers due to high prices and first rights to the grid given to wind and solar even though they are unreliable and excess power being sold to our neighbours for a loss when the wind is blowing strong causing the hourly price of power to drop to zero or negative have been the cause of high electricity costs. Our export neighbours love our cheap electricity. This must stop. The repealing of the Green Energy Act was the first good step in the right direction but much more must be done.