Ontario to procure 5,000 MW of energy, ban solar farms on prime agricultural land

Ontario is looking to add some 5,000 megawatts of energy to the grid as new Energy Minister Stephen Lecce lays out his plan to meet demand in the coming decades.

Lecce says the government is “energy agnostic” and the new procurement will be a mix of natural gas, hydroelectric, renewables, nuclear, and biomass.

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He says energy companies must get municipal support in order to proceed.

Lecce also says there will be protections to prime agricultural areas.

Ground-mounted solar farms will be banned entirely on prime agricultural land.

The province’s electricity demand is expected to grow by about two per cent each year, but could be even higher depending on electrification within the broader economy.