Ontario to raise power rates by $2 monthly

subscribe

The Ontario Energy Board is raising basic electricity prices by more than 10 per cent – to 5.6 cents per kilowatt-hour for use of up to 1,000 kWh a month and 6.5 cents per kWh above that.

The board says the impact will be $2.40 per month on a residence consuming 1,000 kWh monthly, compared with the summer price.

However, compared with last winter's rate, the increase would be $6 a month or 12 per cent. For power use above the 1,000-kilowatt per hour level, the increase is 10.2 per cent.

The rate, reset at the start of each May and November, was previously five cents per kilowatt-hour up to the lower summer threshold of 600 kWh, and 5.9 cents per kWh for consumption above that level. Those basic prices had been unchanged since last November, when they were trimmed slightly.

The board said today that the price increase – shown on the "electricity" line of consumers' utility bills – is caused by several factors, including new higher-cost renewable and natural gas generation projects coming into service, and an expected rise in the cost of electricity from nuclear and large hydro plants.

The provincial regulator also cites the expense of conservation initiatives, and the impact of the provincial government's directive to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired generation by a further one-third by 2011.

"These upward price pressures are partially offset by a forecast of lower electricity market prices primarily due to a decline in expected natural gas prices," the board said.

Natural gas generates about 10 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The rest comes from Canada's extensive network of nuclear plants, which produce more than half the province's electricity needs, as well as coal, hydroelectric, wind and alternative energy sources.

Ontario has three currently operating nuclear plants – Pickering and Darlington east of Toronto and Bruce on the shores of Lake Erie – and plans a major expansion of the system over the next two decades.

The provincial regulated price plan for electricity is designed to have consumers pay the costs of supplying electricity while smoothing out price variations. It does not apply to consumers buying their power under contracts with third-party retailers.

And for the small number of Ontario households connected through smart meters and paying time-of-use rates, the peak price per kilowatt-hour declines to 8.8 cents from 9.3 cents and the mid-peak price is trimmed to 7.2 cents from 7.3 cents, but the off-peak price rises to 4.0 cents from 2.7 cents.

Related News

ontario hydrogen

Ontario Ministry of Energy proposes growing hydrogen economy through reduced electricity rates

TORONTO - The Ontario Ministry of Energy is seeking input on accelerating Ontario’s hydrogen economy. The province has been promoting growth in the clean tech sector, including low-carbon energy production, as an avenue for post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Hydrogen produced through electrolysis (or “green hydrogen”) has been central to these efforts, complimenting both federal and provincial initiatives to create vibrant domestic and export markets for the energy as a principal alternative to conventional fossil fuels.

On April 14, 2022, the Ministry filed a proposal (the Proposal) on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) to gather input from stakeholders. As part of Ontario’s…

READ MORE
electricity

Physicists Just Achieved Conduction of Electricity at Close to The Speed of Light

READ MORE

openai-expands-washington-effort-to-shape-ai-policy

OpenAI Expands Washington Effort to Shape AI Policy

READ MORE

downed trees and power lines

Hurricane Michael by the numbers: 32 dead, 1.6 million homes, businesses without power

READ MORE

wind power

Wind Leading Power

READ MORE