The National Energy Board (NEB) today released its newest report: ‘Canada's Energy Future 2016: Province and Territory Outlooks' that highlights the diversity of energy/electricity sources across Canada for both the production and consumption of energy, including crude oil, hydro, natural gas and solar power resources.
Recent retirements of coal-fired power plants and planned nuclear refurbishments will provide a major boost to Ontario's renewable and natural-gas fired electricity generation. By 2040, Ontario is expected to add more than 11 gigawatts of new capacity, primarily through wind, solar and natural gas generation. By that time frame, 28 per cent of the total provincial supply will come from renewable sources of wind, solar and biomass.
Ontario's electricity demand is expected to grow modestly in the same time period, but not reaching peak levels seen in 2008, although future expansion of the province's industrial sector is a key uncertainty for electrical demand. Total end-use demand for all energy sources is expected to increase modestly, as declines in the transportation sector are outweighed by gains in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.
The report does not include the recent key climate change policy announcement made by various provinces as well as the federal government. An update to the national Energy Futures report will include an examination of these future policies and will be released later this year.
