Brant Local Demand Response Pilot

The IESO, with input from the Brant area Local Distribution Companies (LDCs), has initiated the development of the Brant Local Demand Response (DR) Pilot, seeking to secure up to approximately 15 MW of DR provided by local load customers that are supplied by the Brant Transformer Station and/or Powerline Municipal Transformer Station for the summer of 2017 and the summer of 2018. The pilot is intended to help the IESO and LDCs test the use of DR to assist with local capacity needs and will provide interim capacity relief, if needed, until additional capacity provided by transmission reinforcements are in place in 2019.

Demand response, where consumers reduce their electricity consumption in response to prices and system needs using load reduction or behind-the-meter resources, is playing an increasingly important role in Ontario's electricity system. It has already had a significant impact on province-wide energy demand and helped reduce peaks, providing a valuable and cost-effective resource to the system. It may also prove to be a beneficial tool in supporting local reliability and electricity planning needs of certain capacity constrained regions of the province.

In April 2015, the IESO released an Integrated Regional Resource Plan (IRRP) for the Brant area which outlined the changing electricity needs of the area over a 20-year period (2014 to 2033). The Brant area is expected to experience continued population and industrial growth in the coming decades and, as such, the IRRP identified investments for implementation to meet near-term and medium-term electricity needs. Though there is not an immediate concern over meeting electricity demand in the Brant area, one of the near-term recommendations outlined in the IRRP was to investigate opportunities for a DR pilot and to identify costs and determine the potential of DR as a Non-Wires Alternative (NWA) for meeting local-area capacity needs.

Interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to receive updates related to the Brant Local DR Pilot by contacting engagement@ieso.ca.

All comments and enquiries in this stakeholder engagement can be directed to engagement@ieso.ca.

Documents referenced on this page, but not posted, can be obtained by contacting customer.relations@ieso.ca with a link to the web page that lists the document and advise whether it needs to be provided in an accessible format. Please allow a minimum of one business day for a response.

Schedule of Activities

Related Information

Read more about 2015 Brant IRRP Report

Demand Response Working Group