Ontario to start consultation on 930 MW renewable energy tender within weeks

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is preparing to start stakeholder and community consultation on its draft rules for a 930 MW renewable energy tender "in the next couple of weeks".

Under its Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) programme , the Canadian province is holding two large tenders this year.

The first, 455 MW-round of LRP contracts was offered on March 10, 2016.

The contracts with the 16 winning projects have now been signed and executed, the operator noted in its latest 18-Month Outlook report, published yesterday.

Meanwhile, the IESO has initiated a stakeholder and community engagement to invite feedback on the first batch of LRP and understand what improvements can be made prior to the second round of procurement.

The draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the second LRP is expected to be posted in the next couple of weeks for stakeholder and community feedback. The final LRP II RFQ will be posted by August 1, 2016, the operator said.

The province will be targeting up to 600 MW of wind, up to 250 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV), up to 50 MW of hydropower and up to 30 MW of bioenergy.

By December 31, 2017, the amount of grid-connected wind and solar generation in Ontario is expected to increase to about 4,500 MW and 380 MW, respectively.

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