Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on ERO posting 019-2785, ‘Land Use Compatibility Guideline’.

Hydro One Networks Inc. (“Hydro One”) is Ontario’s largest electricity transmission provider, serving customers throughout the province. We operate more than 1500 electrical substations throughout Ontario which deliver power to homes and businesses. Many other organizations operate electrical substations in Ontario for high-load facilities (e.g. factories), generating stations, and local distribution systems.

The identification of electrical substations as significant noise sources and their subsequent assessment during the land use planning process has historically been inconsistent. Issues with the recognition of substations as significant noise sources or with inaccurate noise measurements/assumptions made by developers has pushed some facilities out of compliance with their established environmental approvals and created significant costs for operators who are subsequently required to implement noise abatement measures.

Hydro One supports the new proposed Land Use Compatibility Guideline and sees this as an excellent step in ensuring consistency between the Environmental Protection Act and the planning of new sensitive land uses. We welcomed the creation of NPC-300 in 2013, which harmonized noise level guidelines across both MECP review and municipal planners. Similarly, we hope that this new guideline will equip municipal planners with the tools they need to identify our facilities and assess their potential impacts more consistently.

Please see the attached comment submission for further details.