A Year for the Books – A Message from Terry Young, Interim President and CEO
December 17, 2020
Before we close out the year, I wanted to share my appreciation with the entire sector for their support over what has been a trying year for all. Throughout the pandemic, we have all worked together to ensure that Ontarians could continue to rely on a reliable electricity service as they focused on adjusting their work and personal lives to stay safe.
At the IESO, we were fortunate to be able to shift all non-essential staff to work from home relatively seamlessly, to allow our core operations to continue on site. We also benefitted from the patience and understanding from market participants, stakeholders and others as we adjusted to our new working arrangements, while at the same time responding to the needs of Ontarians.
Forecasting near-term demand, as an example, has been challenging. There were no models for a large percentage of the population working from home. But we adjusted, and taking advantage of aggregated residential smart meter data, we were able to develop profiles that vastly improved our forecast accuracy. And then, we also experienced peaks this summer that we haven’t seen in years. In all these circumstances – market participants have worked with us to ensure that a reliable supply of electricity was provided when and where it was needed across Ontario.
I am proud of the work the IESO has undertaken to move our sector forward, using new ways of connecting with each other. The move to a more predictable engagement calendar and digital platforms has doubled the participation rate in our engagements helping us to move forward on important initiatives such as the Resource Adequacy Framework that will guide our future procurement processes. Thank you to everyone who took the time to join these conversations and provide your perspectives.
On a personal level, I am also grateful for the support and advice that many of you have provided over the last number of months as I took on this new role as interim President and CEO. As many of you may know, I enjoy connecting with stakeholders. Your input is critical to the success of our work.
My end of year wish is for everyone to stay safe and get some much needed rest. Have a great holiday and see you in the New Year.
Terry