Ontario’s Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP), the first comprehensive electricity supply plan for the province in 15 years, has been filed with the Ontario Energy Board by the OPA.

The plan, two years in the making, has five defining features: reduce demand by conservation; replace coal by natural gas and renewable resources; restore nuclear capability for base load by refurbishment or new build; develop flexibility from gas and purchase options; and, implement transmission that is necessary for reliability, incorporation of desired generation and system efficiency.

The 7,000 page submission is an action plan with a 20-year outlook and will be updated every three years to ensure it stays on track with changing priorities and benefits from the application of new, proven technologies.

By 2025, 45% of the province’s electricity supply will be provided by conservation and renewable resources, 8% from natural gas and 47% from nuclear power.

Ontario will construct almost as much generating capacity over the next 20 years as there is in the province today. The plan will also offset any growth in peak demand arising from increased population and economic growth for the next 10 years or more.

The engagement process included the publication of eight critical-issue discussion papers, and webconferences and in-person meetings involving more than 2,200 Ontarians. A total of 161 written submissions on the IPSP were reviewed and considered and 134 First Nations were contacted to provide information about the IPSP and opportunity to comment. Twenty in-person meetings were held with First Nation chiefs and representatives.

Under the plan the real cost-to-customer increases are expected to be in the order of 15% to 20%, although Ontarians who aggressively conserve will likely see a decrease in their real costs.

The IPSP includes generation projects, transmission enhancements and conservation efforts estimated to cost roughly $60 billion ($59.7 billion by 2025 in 2007 dollars):

Conservation	$10.2
Renewables	15.4
Nuclear	26.5
Natural Gas	3.6
Transmission	4.0

Of the transmission total, some $3 billion (or 75 percent) is for transmission enhancements to facilitate renewable resources.