Ontario supports 12 solar projects totaling 915 MW – SPE

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has approved 12 solar projects with a combined capacity of 915.1 MW through the province’s Long-Term 2 (LT2) Energy Window 1 procurement round.

It has also agreed on two new wind energy projects totaling 400 MW, marking the first major competitive procurement of new wind and solar energy resources in the Canadian province in more than a decade.

The 14 projects together represent more than 1.3 GW of new capacity. Together, they plan to add more than 3 TWh of new annual capacity to Ontario’s grid, which is enough power to power more than 350,000 homes in the province.

Each of the projects includes at least 50% indigenous equity ownership. The approved solar projects range from 9 MW to 200 MW in capacity and include four projects with a size of more than 100 MW.

The results of the bidding period lists the largest solar projects as the 200 MW Dunns Valley Solar site, the 167.2 MW CarbonFree Fort Frances project, the 154 MW CarbonFree Kynoch project and the 141.25 MW Massey Solar project.

Details on IESO’s website state that the company is currently in the process of executing contracts with the selected proponents and will publish associated prices once the contracts are fully executed, which is expected to be in May.

The LT2 tender was first announced in 2024. The selected projects will have a 20-year agreement and are expected to begin commercial operation in early May 2030.

Vittoria Bellissimo, president and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), noted that the procurement results are a clear signal that renewable energy is ready to meet the challenge of rapid growth.

In February, CanREA said pv magazine Canada’s cumulative solar capacity could rise to 21 GW by the middle of the next decade, up from the current 5.4 GW, largely due to upcoming utility-scale procurement. The association added that nine of Canada’s provinces are hosting future calls.

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