One of Doug Ford’s first acts as premier of Ontario, just days after taking office in 2018, was cancelling more than 750 renewable energy projects, including a large wind farm that was already partially built.
Fast forward to today, and Ford’s Progressive Conservative government is poised to oversee the biggest expansion of green energy that the province has seen in nearly a decade.
Ontario has laid out plans to procure an additional 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2034. By comparison: the capacity of all wind power projects currently installed across the province totals about 4,900 megawatts.
The move makes for one of the most dramatic policy shifts from a government that has had its fair share of U-turns.
The expansion is driven by the anticipated rise in demand for electricity in Ontario — as well as the demand from many companies that the electricity supply be as emissions-free as possible — along with falling costs of producing wind and solar energy.
But the plan is almost certain to face some opposition, particularly when it comes to wind power.
