IESO is seeking stakeholder input on its first competitive transmission solicitation: a $1.5 billion HVDC line under Lake Ontario that will become the third major supply line for Toronto.

IESO officials held firm on excluding hydro redevelopment projects from the ISO’s Long Lead-Time procurement despite objections from potential bidders.

Ontario approved IESO’s proposed $1.5 billion HVDC line under Lake Ontario, which planners say is needed to meet a potential doubling of Toronto’s electricity demand by 2050.

IESO will begin allowing corporate energy buyers to purchase power from off-site renewable generators next spring, giving loads another way to reduce their Global Adjustment charges.

The Ontario government’s efforts to align IESO and the Ontario Energy Board to make the province an energy “superpower” was the dominant theme at the 2025 Ontario Energy Conference.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government continues to put its stamp on the province’s energy policy, proposing legislation that would add “economic growth” to the missions of IESO and the Ontario Energy Board.

The Ontario Energy Board plans a 22% increase in its 2025/26 budget with the addition of 32 employees, its biggest hiring surge in at least five years.