THUNDER BAY – Eligible companies could qualify for a reduced electricity rate. Five years after a campaign spearheaded by the Northern Ontario Municipal Association, it appears that there has been a step forward from the Ontario government on the high price of electricity. The Ontario government is introducing the Industrial Electricity Incentive program.
In a press statement, the McGuinty Government says, “By January 2013, eligible companies could qualify for a reduced electricity rate if they create new jobs and bring new investment to Ontario. The program would encourage existing, large industrial companies to make significant expansions to their operations and create jobs. It would also help attract new companies to locate in the province.
“Electricity demands remain below pre-recession levels. The Industrial Electricity Incentive program would allow industrial companies to access electricity that would otherwise be exported to neighbouring jurisdictions. The program would not affect electricity rates for consumers”.
“Our government’s focus is on creating jobs and economic growth in the North – and that’s exactly what this program does. This is not only great news for our industrial sector but will strengthen local economies across the province,” stated Michael Gravelle, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan shared, “This is another example of how our government is committed to strengthening our local economy and creating jobs in the North. It builds on other programs like NIERP, which reduces electricity costs for large Northern Industrials by about 25 per cent. Together, these initiatives are making are making the North’s industries more competitive.”
QUICK FACTS
Since 2003 Ontario has added more than 9,000 MW of new and refurbished clean energy online – enough to power both Ottawa and Toronto for a year;
The Industrial Conservation Initiative is available to over 200 of Ontario’s largest energy consumers and provides a strong incentive for industrial companies to shift their electricity consumption to off-peak hours to save on costs.
• The Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program provides electricity price rebates of two cents per kilowatt-hour to qualifying large industrial facilities that commit to an electricity efficiency and sustainability plan. On average this would reduce industrial electricity prices by about 25 per cent, based on 2009 levels.