Ontario’s electricity system operator has revealed that the province should possess enough electricity to meet increasing demand in 2024 and 2025, though it may need to import power during extreme heat at times.
In its 18-month reliability outlook report, the Independent Electricity System Operator said that there would be enough supply of electricity generated in Ontario under normal weather conditions.
Meanwhile, under extreme weather, Ontario may need to import up to 2,000 megawatts of power from other areas to ensure reliability, especially in August and summer of 2025.
Nuclear power offers over half of Ontario’s electricity supply and during the 18-month outlook, some units are being upgraded while others are earmarked for retirement.
The IESO expects electricity demand in Ontario to rise by one percent this year ang by around three percent next year.
The higher demand comes partly as economic activity is expected to pick up and due to big industrial projects like electric vehicle battery plants and steelmakers’ electric arc furnaces.