March 10, 2014 – Ontario has negotiated a new agreement between the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and TransAlta Corp. to secure electricity production for the next 20 years.

The contract will guarantee TransAlta’s natural gas-fired cogeneration facility in Ottawa provides electricity to the provincial grid. Locally, the plant provides heating and cooling to the Ottawa Health Sciences Centre, which includes the National Defence Medical Centre and Rideau Veterans Health Centre.

The new structure for negotiating rates for thermal non-utility generators will result in cost and reliability benefits for Ontario’s electricity customers, says the government. The TransAlta plant is one of the first contracts negotiated under the new structure.