Hydro One Begins Community Engagement to Enable Clean Energy Future in Southwest Ontario

March 23, 2023

The company is committed to putting people, the planet and communities first in its planning for the Longwood to Lakeshore Project

To support the significant increase in electricity demand in southwest Ontario, Hydro One has started to engage with local communities to plan for two new transmission lines in the region. The Longwood to Lakeshore Project is part of a network of infrastructure projects across southwest Ontario that will unlock the electrification potential of Ontario’s economy to mitigate climate change. This project will also improve reliability and resiliency, attract economic growth, and support local food supply and security.

Hydro One is taking a principles-based approach to early and transparent engagement with Indigenous communities, municipalities, businesses, and residents, which is vital to project planning.  Everyone is encouraged to participate, ask questions, and provide feedback throughout the duration of the project.

“At Hydro One, we integrate early, meaningful and open engagement directly into our project planning process and we are committed to listening to the community as we expand our electrical infrastructure to bring more power to southwest Ontario,” said Daniel Levitan, Vice President, Stakeholder Relations, Hydro One. “We have been trusted with energizing communities across the region for more than 100 years and we will continue to work together with Indigenous communities, residents, governments, industries and the energy sector to explore innovative ways to ensure it has the electricity it needs.”

“Landholder engagement for infrastructure projects is critical to driving Ontario’s economy,” said Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture. “We support the expansion of our electricity system to meet the demands in southwestern Ontario including our greenhouse vegetable growers, while balancing the concerns and interests of our farmland owners throughout the region. Such projects should always include local consultation, and OFA appreciates the continued outreach Hydro One has done for this project.”

“Investments to increase the availability of clean electricity in Southwestern Ontario help increase our competitive edge for businesses looking to expand into North America,” said Stephen Mackenzie, President, Invest WindsorEssex. “Our region has so much to offer and I’m excited about the new economic opportunities this new transmission line will help us bring to Windsor-Essex.”

“Our government is supporting the incredible growth in Southwest Ontario by accelerating the development of five new transmission lines that will power the new Stellantis–LGES battery plant, the agricultural sector and other job creators,” said Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Energy. “I’m pleased to see Hydro One launch their community engagement, including in-person sessions, so communities, local residents and business owners can ask questions and provide feedback, so this project benefits everyone.”

“Southwestern Ontario is growing, and we understand this network of electricity infrastructure projects is critical to help meet the energy demand that our region will experience over the next several years,” said Darrin Canniff, Mayor, Municipality of Chatham-Kent. “We will continue to work with Hydro One throughout the engagement process to ensure clean and reliable energy will continue to flow across southwestern Ontario for years to come.”

To better understand the region and the community’s perspective, the company is hosting five in-person Community Open Houses from March 21 – March 30, 2023. A virtual Open House will also take place on April 13, 2023.

The new proposed Longwood to Lakeshore Project features two single-circuit 500 kilovolt (kV) lines between the Longwood Transformer Station (TS) in the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc and the Lakeshore TS in the Municipality of Lakeshore. The first line is expected to be in service in 2030 and will deliver an additional 550 megawatts of power to the region, which is enough electricity to energize life in a city the size of London, Ontario. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) projects that energy demand in southwest Ontario will quadruple by 2035.[1]

Community Open Houses:

• Tuesday, March 21, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Brunner Community Centre, 32 Wallace Street, Thamesville, ON
• Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Glencoe Agricultural Hall, 268 Currie Street, Glencoe, ON
• Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Caradoc Community Centre, 565 Lions Park Drive, Mount Brydges, ON
• Wednesday, March 29, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Comber Community Centre, 6211-6213 McAllaster St, Comber, ON
• Thursday, March 30, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Active Lifestyle Centre, 20 Merritt Avenue, Chatham, ON
• Thursday, April 13, 2023 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Virtual) click link to register.

For more information about the project, please visit www.HydroOne.com/Longwood-to-Lakeshore.

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Hydro One Limited (TSX: H)

Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.5 million valued customers, approximately $31.5 billion in assets as at December 31, 2022, and annual revenues in 2022 of approximately $7.8 billion.

Our team of approximately 9,300 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2022, Hydro One invested approximately $2.1 billion in its transmission and distribution networks, and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.9 billion of goods and services.

We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Leader™ by Electricity Canada.

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