Powering Tomorrow Podcast

This special episode was recorded live at the first IESO engagement day of 2021, where Terry Young chats with James Scongack, EVP of Corporate Affairs & Operational Services at Bruce Power. They spoke about how the industry has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic; opportunities for existing and new resources to meet emerging needs in Ontario’s electricity system; and the importance of clarity and transparency with stakeholders.

As the electricity sector has evolved, community engagement has become particularly important. An ongoing dialogue serves to build an understanding of how energy planning happens and provides opportunities for local input - laying the foundation for successful implementation. And as technology has evolved, such as energy efficiency, energy storage and demand response, it is giving communities more choice in how they meet their energy needs. In this episode, Terry Young interviews Matthew Day, Program Manager at WR Community Energy and Tonja Leach, Executive Director of QUEST. They discuss the changes in the energy sector, especially how community preferences such as energy transition and electrification have gained in importance, and what is needed to keep the progress going.

Throughout the history of Ontario’s electricity system, different events have impacted grid demand and operations such as the SARS virus, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, and now the COVID-19 pandemic we are in today. In this episode, host and VP Terry Young has a discussion with current Chief Operating Officer and VP Planning, Acquisition and Operations Leonard Kula and former COO Kim Warren, on lessons they’ve learned from past events, and how operations have evolved today.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and industries across the globe have had to make significant changes to how they operate. Organizations across Ontario’s electricity are no exception, continuing to operate as essential services while ensuring the health and safety of employees—this includes generators, locality utilities and consumers. On the latest episode of the podcast, we spoke with Mike Crawley, CEO of Northland Power, Jim Hogan, President and CEO of Entegrus and Mark Schembri, Vice President of Supermarket Systems and Store Maintenance at Loblaw Companies Ltd. to better understand how they’ve been navigating their operations throughout the pandemic and what the future holds for their organizations in a post-pandemic era. We also sit down with Chuck Farmer, the IESO’s Senior Director of Power System Planning to learn more about the impact the pandemic has had on electricity demand in Ontario and the future outlook for the province.

The North American power grid is a vast, interconnected network serving almost 400 million consumers across the continent, and is sometimes referred to as “the world’s largest machine.” On the latest episode of the podcast, we go beyond Ontario’s borders to diget the North America-wide picture of the rapid transformation happening to power grids across the continent. Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Reliability Corporation discusses the benefits of having an interconnected grid, and how the North American grid of the future will be more digitized, distributed and decarbonized.

The IESO recently released its first Annual Planning Outlook, a 20-year outlook for Ontario’s electricity system. Ontario is in a stable electricity supply situation after years of investment in new generation, with enough existing and available resources to meet the province’s needs for the next decade. On this episode, we sit down with Peter Gregg, the IESO’s President and CEO, live at the Ontario Energy Network’s annual luncheon to discuss the latest Outlook and how the industry can collectively address the new realities of Ontario’s electricity system.

Having best-in-class cybersecurity, at a time when cyber threats are increasing and growing in sophistication, is an essential part of the industry’s collective efforts to safeguard the reliability and resiliency of the electricity grid. On this episode, we sit down with Scott Jones, head of the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity, to learn more about his organization’s role as Canada’s authority on cyber security, and to get his take on the importance of organizations in the electricity industry and beyond working together to shore up their cybersecurity defenses. This episode also features a discussion on how the IESO’s cybersecurity team is strengthening the grid’s resilience through collaboration with partners inside and outside the industry.

Indigenous communities are increasingly playing an active role in Ontario's energy sector, taking advantage of policies and programs that allow communities to manage their energy and generate revenue in a way that is consistent with their cultural and environmental values. On this episode, we sit down with Lucie Edwards, CEO Opiikapawiin Services LP (OSLP), to learn more about the important work her and OSLP are doing to support the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project, which will connect remote Indigenous communities in NW Ontario to the power grid. We also sit down with the IESO’s Brett Smith, Senior Manager, First Nations and Métis Relations, to learn more about the IESO’s commitment to working with Indigenous communities to enable them to participate more fully in Ontario’s energy sector.

Electricity grids around the world are in a state of flux as advances in technology are rapidly transforming the way electricity is generated and distributed to homes and businesses, and is changing the way consumers interact with the power grid. On this episode, we sit down with Derek Lim Soo, CEO of Peak Power, to learn more about how advancements in technology are creating opportunities for consumers to actively engage with the electricity system, while also helping the broader electricity grid become more efficient and cost-effective. We also sit down the IESO’s Katherine Sparkes, Director, Innovation, Research and Development, to learn more about the IESO’s Grid Innovation Fund and Innovation Roadmap