Rising to Ontario’s LDC challenges

Over the coming years, the distribution sector in the province of Ontario will undergo a period of rebuilding and transformation. This process will occur within the context of rapidly evolving technology, a changing climate, and an ever-increasing need to keep the lights on.

In February 2014, CUE Academic Director Bala Venkatesh invited Paul Murphy – past President and Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) – to chair a series of discussions on the future of the distribution sector.

A group of LDC sector participants and CUE research fellow joined us for six roundtables. These closed-door sessions allowed participants to speak open and frankly. This collegial environment allowed us to delve deep into the challenges facing LDCs.

We are pleased to release the results of our 2014 roundtables today. They comprise of a summary of our findings and a statement of principles to guide the sector into the digital age. In addition to our findings, we are also publishing five background papers that represented the focus of various workshops: the impact of new technology, the challenge of climate change, maintaining system reliability, asset management, and the role of the government and the regulator.

We remain devoted to augmenting our research agenda in response to the new and growing demands of the energy sector. In light of the recent public policy discussions ongoing about the fate of Ontario’s electricity industry, we hope this series will help contribute to the effort to collaboratively enable the distribution network of the 21st century.