Bulk Planning Overview

Bulk planning is one of three types of electricity system planning in Ontario:

  1. Bulk electricity planning looks at the high-voltage grid that spans the province, connecting electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s needed. There are five bulk planning regions in the province.
  2. Regional electricity planning assesses the individual power requirements within the IESO’s 21 regional electricity planning zones and are evaluated on a rolling basis every five years. It is an essential link between bulk and local planning activities.
  3. Local electricity planning is done by the more than the 50 Local Distribution Companies (LDCs) which are actively involved in forecasting and planning for their respective communities’ energy needs.

Bulk Planning initiatives are currently underway in the following regions:

The Goal of Bulk Planning

Focused on both the high-voltage transmission system that moves energy from the province’s generators to local distribution companies, and the overall long-term adequacy of Ontario's resources (i.e. generation, storage), provincial planning (or bulk planning) considers province-wide electricity needs and makes recommendations for the necessary infrastructure and operational capacity to address those needs.

What is Included in Bulk Planning?

Bulk planning considers the location of large power plants, the capacity of high-voltage transmission lines, Ontario’s grid connections with neighbouring jurisdictions, and economic growth factors informed by customers and policy decisions.

Bulk transmission needs are determined through:

Within the APO, a Schedule of Planning Activities (SOPA) summarizes the forecasted bulk system reliability issues requiring individual study and provides a snapshot of the IESO’s workplan for the resulting priority bulk planning studies over a two- to three-year horizon.

The IESO’s Bulk Planning Process

The approach to the bulk planning process happens in four distinct phases:

  1. Demand Forecasts: How much electricity demand is forecasted to be needed over the planning timeframe?
  2. Needs: Can the electricity system meet customer demand via a combination of local generation and transmission capacity?
  3. Evaluation of Options: What kinds of solutions can meet the future needs of the region?
  4. Recommendations: Based on an assessment of potential options, what recommended actions will ensure a reliable and adequate electricity supply over the long term?

The IESO’s bulk system planning process also includes the following key elements:

  • Transparency through regular engagements, communicating planning priorities and providing more planning data.
  • An integrated plan that incorporates IESO transmission planning assessments while providing clarity around how generation vs. transmission recommendations are made.
  • Outcomes that feed into resource acquisitions by informing planning studies.

For more information, refer to the Bulk Power System Planning Process – High-level Design Overview (pdf)

The Role of Engagement

Connecting the IESO’s work to communities and stakeholders is a critical component to the development of a bulk electricity plan. The IESO encourages broad participation in the process, including but not limited to market participants, municipalities, Indigenous communities, customers, and the public.

Through its engagement activities, the IESO aims to provide information about bulk planning and electricity needs, while also gathering a wide range of perspectives that help the IESO understand the views related to a given bulk study. This feedback helps inform the IESO’s recommendations.

The IESO engagement activities are guided by its External Relations Engagement Framework:

  • Informing communities and stakeholders through webinars, and
  • Building understanding through targeted outreach with municipal communities, Indigenous communities, customers, and market participants who may be affected by bulk planning.