Wind Power in Ontario

The IESO constantly monitors wind generation on Ontario's transmission system. Instructions are available to embed the IESO Wind Tracker on your homepage or blog.

Ontario is at the forefront of wind energy in Canada, with more than 1,500 MW of wind generation capacity operating in the province. As system operator, the IESO plays a fundamental role in helping bring wind projects into service and ensuring that Ontario's power system can effectively support increased levels of wind generation.

Installed Wind Capacity in Ontario

Wind Farm	Capacity (MW)	Operational
Amaranth I, Township of Melancthon	67.5	Mar. 2006
Kingsbridge I, Huron County	39.6	Mar. 2006
Port Burwell (Erie Shores), Norfolk and Elgin Counties	99	May 2006
Prince I, Sault Ste. Marie District	99	Sep. 2006
Prince II, Sault Ste. Marie District	90	Nov. 2006
Ripley South, Township of Huron-Kinloss	76	Dec. 2007
Port Alma (T1) (Kruger), Port Alma	101.2	Oct. 2008
Amaranth II, Township of Melancthon	132	Nov. 2008
Underwood (Enbridge), Bruce County	181.5	Feb. 2009
Wolfe Island, Township of Frontenac Islands	197.8	Jun. 2009
Port Alma II (T3) (Kruger), Municipality of Chatham-Kent	101	Dec. 2010
Gosfield Wind Project, Town of Kingsville	50	Jan. 2011
Spence Wind Farm (Talbot), Townships of Howard and Oxford	98.9	Mar. 2011
Dillon Wind Centre (Raleigh)	78	Nov. 2011
Greenwich Wind Farm	99	Jan. 2012

The following wind projects are currently under development:

Project	Capacity (MW)	In Service*
Conestogo Wind Energy Centre 1	69	2011-Q4
Summerhaven Wind Energy Centre	125	2012-Q1
Comber Wind Limited Partnership	166	2012-Q2
Pointe Aux Roche Wind	49	2012-Q3
McLean's Mountain Wind Farm	60	2013-Q1
Port Dover and Nanticoke Wind Project	105	2013-Q1
Farm Owned Power (Melancthon) Ltd	100	2013-Q1
Goulais Wind Farm	25	2013-Q1
Bow Lake	20	2014-Q2

*Expected date of commercial operation

Ontario is well-positioned for considerable growth in wind generation with a good selection of sites across the province. The implementation of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 is expected to accelerate the expansion of wind generation even further. The implementation of the Ontario's Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program will introduce into the province's power system thousands of megawatts of additional renewable supply.

Once in place, IESO centralized wind forecasting will help address the variable nature of wind energy, as it will allow the IESO to understand the periods of time in which greater levels of wind generation will be available. Equipped with this knowledge, the IESO will be better able to manage the province's electricity resources used to meet Ontario's needs.