Natural Resources - About Ontario (Government of Ontario, Canada)

Natural Resources

Energy

About 85 per cent of the electricity generated in Ontario was until 1999 produced by Ontario Hydro, a public utility and monopoly that started in 1906. The electricity industry has been restructured in Ontario. Ontario Hydro has been split into 5 companies with the generation assets now being held by Ontario Power Generation. Hydro One holds the transmission and distribution assets of the former Ontario Hydro. The Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO) manages the transmission grid and controls the dispatch of generation serving the grid.

There are 95 generating stations in Ontario installed and connected to the IMO-controlled grid. These have a total capacity of over 30,000 MW, including those owned by OPG and those owned by independent generators.

Hydro-electric power from about 60 smaller generating stations have over 7,000 megawatts of capacity. Twenty-five fossil-fueled plants (five coal-fired and twenty oil and/or natural-gas-fired) produce almost 12,000 megawatts. About half of Ontario's electricity is nuclear in origin, with five nuclear plants that have a capacity of producing almost 14,000 megawatts.

With the exception of transportation, natural gas is the major fuel used by all sectors of the economy, and in residential, commercial and industrial heating. Natural gas provides more than 33 per cent of Ontario's energy. Petroleum accounts for almost 40 per cent, and electricity for less than 18 per cent.

Ontario is Canada's leading petroleum-refining region. Five refineries produce 27 million cubic metres (170 million barrels) of oil a year, which is enough to meet local needs with some left over for export.

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