“One of the cornerstones of our plan to build is investing in the infrastructure needed to support Ontario’s growing need for energy,” Ford
said during the Nov. 12 announcement. “By 2050—which isn’t too far away—demand for electricity in Ontario is expected to increase more than 50 percent. That’s equivalent of adding four cities the size of Toronto to our power grid.”
The province says Skyview 2 will be a key part of Ontario’s plan to build out its energy infrastructure, with the project slated for completion by 2027 and touted as capable of creating up to 300 jobs and supplying energy to about 400,000 homes.
Ford said the new facility will assist in mitigating the tariffs imposed on Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump
cut off all trade negotiations with Canada on Oct. 23 after the Ontario government sponsored an anti-tariff television ad that aired in the United States and refused to immediately cancel it. Canada has faced 35 percent tariffs on all goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in addition to increased sectoral tariffs and duties on aluminum, steel, copper, softwood lumber, and various automotives.
Energy Projects
The Skyview 2 project is headed by Potentia Renewables partnered with the Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation. It comes on the heels of other energy storage projects such as the Oneida Energy Storage project, which the province says has boosted Ontario’s total storage capacity to around 3,000 megawatts.
Canada is on track to create capacity for up to 37,500 megawatts of stored electricity by 2050, according to Energy Storage Canada CEO Justin Rangooni.
Ontario and Ottawa
recently allocated $3 billion toward the construction of four small modular reactions as part of the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont. According to the province, each of the reactors has capability to provide the energy needs of 300,000 residences, generating approximately 1,200 megawatts of electricity each. Ford said the project will sustain roughly 3,700 jobs per year and 18,000 construction jobs during the build phase, which is expected to be complete in 2029, with connection to the energy grid in 2030.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has
described Ontario’s energy creation as an opportunity to boost domestic industry and potentially export energy overseas and to the United States.
“Every province, every state, and every governor I speak to, every senator, they need our power. Every jurisdiction in the world needs our power,” Ford said Nov. 12. “All these folks are scrambling right now to generate power and ensure that power is affordable.”
Ontario’s electricity prices rose 29 percent on Nov. 1, but will be partly offset by an increase in the Ontario Energy Rebate (OER) to minimize impact on electricity bills.
