As reported Monday by Wind Concerns Ontario, residents of Prince Edward County have been stunned by the discovery that the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) has given a Notice To Proceed (NTP) to the much-contested White Pines wind power project during the election campaign. This means that the IESO has waived its right to cancel the Project’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) contract without liability.

It is reprehensible that the IESO would do such a thing when the election campaign was on, when the writ for the June election was drawn up and when the Project still has approvals outstanding and is facing at least two legal challenges in the courts, one of which directly involves the IESO.

It is unclear whether the IESO believes it must follow any rules in place. In 2017 the IESO chose to ignore the fact the power developer had failed to meet the 75-per-cent capacity clause in its FIT  contract, which should have resulted in cancellation. Instead, the IESO arbitrarily issued a new contract for a revised number of wind turbines, with no public notice or discussion.

One year later, the IESO issues a Notice to Proceed — the final level of approval — to wpd during a provincial election, for a power project that was clearly an election issue, and which would add to consumers’ electricity bills at a time when that too was an important issue being debated across Ontario.

The people of Ontario have not been well served by the IESO.

Jane Wilson and Paula Peel