The Electrification and Energy Transition Panel (EETP) is a short-term advisory body established to assist Ontario in preparing for electrification and the energy transition. The panel advises the government on valuable short, medium, and long-term opportunities within the energy sector. This includes enabling investment and job creation through low energy rates, fostering a predictable and competitive investment environment, ensuring a reliable, affordable, and clean electricity supply, and enhancing long-term energy planning by coordinating the fuels and electricity sectors.
The panel explored five key themes related to the energy transition and electrification through briefings and engagement with the Ministry of Energy, the IESO and OEB, and a wide array of stakeholders in the energy and adjacent sectors.
These five themes informed the discussion questions for stakeholder engagements and will guide recommendations in the panel’s final report:
- Energy Planning — Opportunities to improve long-term, integrated energy planning between the electricity and fuels sectors.
- Governance and Accountability — Opportunities and challenges to improve energy sector governance.
- Technologies — Opportunities to improve frameworks, regulatory or otherwise, and address barriers to enable core energy technologies and fuel types in energy and other sectors such as buildings/housing, transportation, industry and agriculture.
- Community and Customer Perspectives, Affordability and Energy Sector Objectives — Opportunities to balance energy system costs, energy reliability and climate objectives while considering the needs and interests of Indigenous communities, rights-holders and the general public.
- Facilitating Economic Growth — Opportunities to advance economic development as it relates to the energy sector and the transition.
The panel invited all stakeholders and interested organizations to provide formal recommendations within the five key themes and the panel’s scope. The open call for written feedback closed on June 30, 2023. Findings from these engagements will guide recommendations in the panel’s final report. Written feedback will help the panel in writing their report to the Minister of Energy due late 2023.
The EDA has been engaged with the panel since its inception and appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on this timely matter. In addition to the EDA recommendations to the EETP (above), please review the array of policy papers and reports below that underpin the Association’s submission.