Ontario, Toronto to build new electricity transmission line to power city's downtown

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 04, 2025 10:59 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Toronto is getting a 3rd energy transmission enactment to assistance powerfulness the city's downtown and regenerate aging infrastructure. 

The task volition assistance enactment the city's maturation and large transit expansions similar the Ontario Line portion making the city's energy grid much reliable, said Stephen Lecce, curate of vigor and mines, astatine a quality league Wednesday morning.

"Today is astir readying ahead, astir doing the hard enactment to marque definite Toronto has the vigor infrastructure needs, not conscionable for today, but for decades to come," Lecce said. 

Toronto's energy request is expected to astir treble by 2050, with the top request coming from the downtown core, the state said successful a quality release. 

"That's not conscionable due to the fact that we're gathering caller homes oregon the Ontario Line. It's due to the fact that of the electrification of vehicles, of heating and industry," Lecce said. 

"It's due to the fact that this metropolis is simply a magnet for towers and concern and economical growth."

3rd enactment needed to support up with demand 

Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has determined that the metropolis volition request a 3rd transmission enactment successful bid to support up with demand. 

The metropolis presently gets its energy done 2 transmission proviso paths: 1 from the westbound astatine Manby Transmission Station adjacent Kipling Road and Dundas Street, and 1 from the eastbound astatine Leaside Transformer Station adjacent Overlea Boulevard and Millwood Road.

Those transmission lines volition commencement to scope their capableness successful the aboriginal 2030s, the quality merchandise says. 

The IESO is expected to marque its last proposal to the authorities connected wherever the 3rd transmission enactment should beryllium built by August, aft which the Ontario authorities volition find erstwhile operation connected the task could begin. 

The transmission line could instrumentality betwixt 7 to 10 years to complete, Lecce said. 

The IESO has identified 3 imaginable options for wherever the caller transmission enactment could beryllium built: 

• An overland way from Pickering to Leaside successful Toronto.

• An overland way from Pickering to the Port Lands successful Toronto.

• An underwater cablegram from Darlington oregon Pickering to the Port Lands successful Toronto.

The IESO volition beryllium consulting with the City of Toronto, Indigenous communities, cardinal stakeholders and the nationalist implicit the summertime earlier it makes its last proposal connected the champion enactment for the project, the quality merchandise says.