The Ontario government is operating the province’s vastly complex power system without a plan.
Although the Ontario Power Authority was set up in 2004 with a mandate to create and update an integrated power system plan for the province, no such plan has been approved and the most recent draft is over three years old.
In the last couple of weeks, the Ontario government, which had supervised the preparation of business and rate plans at OPG and Hydro One, ordered both Crown utilities to abandon those plans just days before they were to be filed with the Ontario Energy Board for public review. Part of OPG’s plan was expected to include some of the first details made public on the extent of power spills. Hydro One’s plan was to include details on how new renewable generators will be connected to the transmission system.
Notwithstanding yawning information gaps and the curtailment of existing generation resources due to excess supply, the Ontario Power Authority is recklessly signing contracts for new generation supply at a rate of over one billion dollars per week.
(Post script: The day after this comment was originally posted, the Toronto Star made a related complaint referencing the Environmental Commissioner in this editorial.)
Just when you think the situation can’t get any worse, it takes another bizarre twist. Is the McGuinty government trying to hide its inept distortions of the energy markets?
It is almost as if McGuinty is doing his very best to purposely destroy the
Ontario economy and he certainly is succeeding. I fear for the future of Ontario – how can this government be so inept?
A complete and absolute destruction of our Energy Grid and future energy supply!
This Government is so out of control and every single action taken can be most certainly defined as a Government practicing “Crisis Management” at the highest level.
Realizing that they were about to commit massive environmental and commercial devastation of our province with their “renewable energy plans” they dismantled any laws which would have prevented them from going ahead with the introduction of the Green Energy Act, effectively taking away all Ontarians Democratic Rights when it comes to Wind and Solar energy installations.
Sad days for Ontario!
Comments from OPG’s spokesperson, Ted Gruetzner, for whom I have a high regard, in the Globe and Mail May 6th, suggest that I may have been in error claiming that OPG was ordered by the government to withhold its application for a payment amounts increase to the OEB.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/ontario-utilities-told-not-to-bother-with-requests-for-rate-increases/article1559613/
Alot of comments, and everyone has a valid point, BUT CAN SOMEONE TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS THE PEOPLE OF ONTARIO KEEP LOSING THEIR MONEY TO A SYSTEM, ON HYDRO, THAT WE WOULD BE IN JAIL IF IT WE COMMITTED A CRIME LIKE THIS………SOMEONE HELP US REALLY!!!!