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Toronto, June 27, 2005 - Hot weather during the first half of the summer will result in significantly increased reliance on imports to supplement Ontario generation, reported the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) today in its latest 18-month assessment.
"If we continue to experience hot weather like we have during the last several weeks, we will need to continue to rely on imports to supplement Ontario generation," said Paul Murphy, IESO Chief Operating Officer. "As the Outlook progresses, this concern should ease with the return to service of generation currently on planned outage and the projected addition of new generation over the next 18 months."
Ontario Power Generation's plans to return Pickering A Unit 1 to service in the third quarter of 2005 will result in a projected increase of 515 MW to Ontario's electricity system. In addition, eight of the 10 new projects announced in November 2004 from the provincial government's Request for Proposals for Renewable Generation are expected to be available within the 18-month timeframe of this Outlook.
A significant development since the release of the last 18-month Outlook in March 2005 is Hydro One's completion of transformer station upgrades to address reliability concerns in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). "Hydro One's development of the first phase of the Parkway Transformer Station is now complete and has effectively addressed the short-term concerns associated with the shutdown of the Lakeview coal-fired generating station in Mississauga on April 30, 2005," explained Murphy. " However, further improvements in the GTA supply will be required as the load in the area continues to grow."
Murphy noted however that as with previous Outlooks, under extreme weather conditions imports may be required into the IESO administered markets and the IESO may need to defer or cancel generation maintenance to ensure that Ontario demand is met during peak periods. The IESO expects continuing limitations on an interconnection in the Niagara region under hot weather when demands exceed 24,000 MW and Ontario is importing power. On several recent occasions, this has limited import capability from New York," explained Murphy.
The IESO publishes quarterly assessments of the reliability of the Ontario electricity system over the next 18 months. These assessments report on the resource and transmission reliability of the Ontario electricity system and identify any potentially adverse conditions.
The full 18-Month Outlook is available at: http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/monthsYears/monthsAhead.asp
The IESO is responsible for managing Ontario's bulk electricity system and operating the wholesale electricity market. For more information, visit www.ieso.ca.
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