On July 4th, 2025, a city staff Memo regarding the Independent Electricity Systems Operator Long Term 2 Procurement (IESO LT2) was released to inform the Mayor and Councillors of the City’s planned response to the next round of provincial energy procurement.
Now, all bids require an apriori Municipal Support Confirmation (MSC), and ground mounted solar projects are prohibited in prime agricultural areas (from a June 6th, 2024 Minister of Energy Directive). Other projects on prime agricultural land need an Agricultural Impact Assessment (AIA) to the satisfaction of the municipality. There will be annual procurement calls for both energy and capacity for the next few years, and the procurement is supposedly “technology agnostic”, meaning that any method of energy generation (renewables, fossil fuel) or energy storage (batteries, pumped) is eligible.
Additionally, a new “pre-engagement confirmation” is required 60 days prior to the proposal submission deadline. For Window 1-Energy, the deadline was Friday, July 18th. Proponents must meet with host municipalities who in turn set out the local expectations for community engagement.
A process protocol has been posted to Engage Ottawa, regarding public notice and engagement. Information and notices for proposed LT2 projects (including virtual Community Information and Comment Sessions) will be posted in community newspapers, councillor newsletters, and on Engage Ottawa. Pro-tip: on this page, scroll down and look in the right hand column.
Requests for MSC for LT2 W1-energy must be filed by Friday August 8th and will be heard at the September 3rd ARAC meeting, the Sept 16th ECCC meeting and the Sept 24th Council meeting.
