Halton, Peel and York are among the fastest growing Regions in Ontario. As they continue to develop, new transmission infrastructure may be required in the future to meet the growing electricity demand over the long term. Given the continued growth expected in these regions, and acknowledging the existence of sensitive environmental features in the area, it is important to keep a transmission infrastructure option open by identifying and preserving a viable corridor of land for future use today. At the same time, it is recognized that with the future Highway 413 being planned in the Region, there is an opportunity to co-locate a transmission corridor with the highway corridor, consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement related to land use planning and development. While the timing of the need for new transmission may not be certain for many years, it is possible that development work could be recommended for some of the identified corridor as early as 2025.
In June 2019, the IESO and the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (now, the Ministry of Energy) initiated a joint study to identify an appropriate corridor of land for use by future linear transmission infrastructure, if and when the need arises (the Northwest GTA Transmission Corridor Identification Study, hereafter referred to as the “Joint Study”). The outcome of the Joint Study will be a recommended corridor of land to preserve for future transmission infrastructure and protect from development for other purposes. It should be noted that this study is separate from, but will continue in parallel with, the Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) GTA West Transportation Corridor Route Planning and Environmental Assessment Study (related to the assessment of a potential Highway 413).
To help inform the Joint Study, the IESO is seeking a Service Provider to continue work that has been ongoing since 2021 to study a Narrowed Area of Interest (NAI), as described in Appendix E, and provide guidance and advice on a variety of topics that will ultimately: (a) allow corridor options within the NAI to be evaluated on a comparative basis; and (b) lead to a recommended corridor to be preserved and protected for future transmission infrastructure. Interested parties should note that: (a) this opportunity is only open to Canadian Businesses (as defined in the RFP); and (b) the services described in the RFP are a continuation of services previously procured to support the Joint Study and, as asuch, the successful proponent will build upon work either completed by, or in progress with, the incumbent consultant.
