The Ontario government has released an updated
Long-Term Energy Plan designed to set the course for a clean energy
revolution that will create thousands of new jobs in Ontario while
cleaning up the air the citizens of Ontario breathe.

The government’s 20-year energy plan,
Building Our Clean Energy Future, calls for essential
investments to keep the lights on in homes, businesses, schools and
hospitals by creating a balanced mix of clean power sources and
shuts down all dirty smog-producing coal plants.

The Plan calls for:

• Creating 50,000 jobs in Ontario’s growing clean energy
  economy;

• Increasing Ontario’s power supply from renewable sources like
  wind, solar and bio-energy to 13 per cent by 2018, up from 3 per
  cent today;

• Building the largest expansion in hydroelectric power in almost
  40 years with projects to get more power from Niagara Falls and the
  Lower Mattagami River;

• Securing clean and reliable nuclear power as a baseload for
  half of Ontario’s power supply;

• Moving forward immediately with five priority transmission
  projects to bring more clean power online, to serve changing
  demand, and to ensure reliability;

• Reducing costs for consumers and making our power system more
  efficient through conservation, saving 7,100 MW of power.

Residential and small business electricity bills are forecasted
to increase by 3.5 per cent annually over the next 20 years. That’s
the price for keeping the lights on, says a Press  Release
issued with the Plan. Industrial rates are forecasted to increase
by 2.7 per cent annually over the same timeframe.

The government is helping Ontarians with the costs of turning on
more clean power and turning off dirty smog-polluting coal plants
by:

• Taking 10 per cent off monthly electricity bills for families,
  farms and small businesses starting January 1, 2011, under the
  proposed Ontario Clean Energy Benefit;

• Moving the Time-of-Use off-peak period for electricity to 7
  p.m. which will provide an additional 10 hours every week in the
  lowest cost period:

• Helping seniors and low- and middle-income Ontarians through a
  proposed expansion to the Energy and Property Tax Credit, providing
  up to $900 back, and up to $1025 for eligible seniors;

• Helping large industrials and manufacturers conserve energy,
  save on electricity costs and increase their competitiveness
  through the Industrial Conservation Initiative, starting in January
  2011.

 Key features of the plan are as follows:

• Demand will grow moderately (about 15 per cent) between 2010
  and 2030.

• Ontario will be coal-free by 2014. Eliminating coal-fired
  generation from Ontario’s supply mix will account for the majority
  of the government’s greenhouse gas reduction target by 2014. Two
  units at the Thunder Bay coal plant will be converted to gas and
  Atikokan will be converted to biomass. Two additional units at
  Nanticoke will be shut down in 2011.

• The government is committed to clean, reliable nuclear power
  remaining at approximately 50 per cent of the province’s
  electricity supply. To do so Ontario will rebuild what it can, and
  replace it can’t. Units at the Darlington and Bruce sites will need
  to be modernized and the province will need two new nuclear units
  at Darlington. Investing in refurbishment and extending the life of
  the Pickering B station until 2020 will provide good value for
  Ontarians.

• Ontario will continue to grow its hydroelectric capacity with a
  target of 9,000 MW. This will be achieved through new facilities
  and through significant investments to maximize the use of
  Ontario’s existing facilities. Ontario will undergo the largest
  hydroelectric expansion in almost 40 years through the Niagara
  Tunnel and Lower Mattagami projects.

• Ontario’s target for clean, renewable energy from wind, solar
  and bioenergy is 10,700 MW by 2018 (excluding hydroelectric) -
  accommodated through transmission expansion and maximizing the use
  of the existing system. Ontario will grow the clean energy economy
  through the continuation of clean energy programs like the Feed-in
  Tariff (FIT) and microFIT.

• Natural gas generation for peak needs will be of value where it
  can address local and system reliability issues. Natural gas will
  support the increase in renewable sources over time and supplement
  the modernization of nuclear generators.

• Combined Heat and Power is an energy-efficient source of power
  and the OPA will develop a standard offer program for projects
  under 20 MW.

• Ontario will proceed with five priority transmission projects
  needed immediately for reliability, renewable energy growth, and
  changing demand. Future Plans will identify more projects as they
  are needed.

• Ontario is a leader in conservation and the government will
  continue to increase and broaden its targets to 7,100 MW and reduce
  overall demand by 28 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030.

• Over the next 20 years, estimated capital investments from both
  private and public sectors totalling $87 billion will help ensure
  that Ontario has a clean, modern and reliable electricity
  system.

• Measures outlined in this Plan will help create and sustain
  jobs and investments in Ontario’s growing clean energy
  economy.

• Residential bills are expected to rise by 3.5 per cent per year
  over the next 20 years. Industrial prices are expected to rise by
  2.7 per cent per year over the next 20 years.

• The government is proposing an Ontario Clean Energy Benefit to
  give Ontario families, farms and small businesses a 10 per cent
  credit on their electricity bills for five years.

• To help families, Ontario will move the Time-of-Use off-peak
  period for electricity to 7 p.m. which will provide an additional
  10 hours every week in the lowest cost period.

• Seniors and low- and middle-income Ontarians will benefit from
  the expanded Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, which will
  provide up to $900 back annually, and up to $1,025 for eligible
  seniors.

The href=”http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/pdf/MEI_LTEP_en.pdf#page=4”
target=”_blank”>Executive Summary and href=”http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/energy/” target=”_blank”>key
chapters of the plan are available here. href=”http://www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/pdf/MEI_LTEP_en.pdf”
target=”_blank”>The full plan is also available for
download.