Ontario may need to import electricity during extreme weather: report

Ontario’s electricity system operator says the province should have enough electricity to meet growing demand this year and next, though it may have to import power during extreme heat at times.

The Independent Electricity System Operator says in its 18-month reliability outlook report that there will be enough supply of electricity generated in Ontario under normal weather conditions.

However, under extreme weather the province may need to rely on importing up to 2,000 megawatts of power from other jurisdictions to ensure reliability, particularly in August and summer of 2025.

Nuclear power provides more than half of Ontario’s electricity supply and during the 18-month outlook, some units are being refurbished while others are set to be retired.

The IESO expects electricity demand in the province to increase by one per cent this year, then by nearly three per cent next year.

The higher demand partly comes as economic activity is expected to pick up, but also due to large industrial projects such as electric vehicle battery plants and steelmakers’ electric arc furnaces.