Sault mayor wants more power for the north

The City of Sault Ste. Marie is awaiting a response to a letter drafted by Mayor Matthew Shoemaker regarding future power generation in Ontario. The letter expresses concerns about the north effectively being shutout of any new power generation projects by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) until at least 2029.

"If the preliminary plan is approved as it’s currently drafted, it would severely hamper our ability to have new generation projects or speed up the timeframe for an increase in transmission capacity to or from the north," said Shoemaker – adding that without more power to feed the local grid, Algoma Steel's ability to operate its two electric arc furnaces will be impacted.

"If they get up and running, let’s say by early 2026, they won’t be able to both be used at the same time until there’s additional generating capacity or transmission capacity," said Shoemaker.

"So, it will limit their ability to operate at full steam, but it won’t limit their ability to operate period."

Meantime, Katie Elliott with PUC Services Inc. told CTV News its residential customers need not worry about the IESO's plan.

"There’s no risk of blackouts," she said.

"PUC customers will continue to receive reliable power as they always have."

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However, Elliott said PUC is equally concerned about a lack of new power generation projects in the north, and will be working with the city and the IESO to find solutions to this issue.

"To say that we cannot support economic development in the area for another six years because of a lack of available power, is not going to work for our community,” said Elliott.

“And it’s certainly not going to work for any community in northern Ontario."

Mayor Shoemaker is planning to discuss the matter with the province's Minister of Energy Todd Smith at the upcoming Association of Municipalities of Ontario meeting.