Region’s Power Supply Needs to Quadruple To Meet Expected Demand From Greenhouse Industry

Article by CBC News

Hydro One will need to quadruple the power supply to the Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent area over the next 15 years to meet the expected electricity demand from expanding greenhouse operations, according to the independent manager of Ontario’s power grid.

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is recommending a transmission line project that could cost between $210 and $290-million be built between Lambton and Chatham.

“It would be like building a city the size of Ottawa in that area,” said Chuck Farmer, senior director of power system planning with the IESO.

“I haven’t seen, personally, a region with the kind of consistent growth that this one has,” said

Farmer said the greenhouse operations in the region are seeing an unparalleled rate of expansion, pushed by growing conditions favourable for growing vegetables and cannabis.

He said there’s a concentrated area around Leamington, Dresden and Kingsville that requires about 500MW of electricity, which through conversations with local stakeholders, Farmer expects to jump to 2000MW by the mid-2030s.

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