Ontario to Rely on US Electricity This Winter Months After Ford Warned of Cutting Power Exports

A portion of Ontario’s electricity supply this winter may come from south of the border just months after Premier Doug Ford threatened export cutoffs and surcharges amid an ongoing trade dispute with the United States.

The province’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced it has finalized a six-month agreement with U.S.-based Alpha Generation to supply 600 megawatts of electricity capacity starting Nov. 1 as a way to maintain grid reliability during upcoming “facility maintenance.”

The IESO said the “short-term” deal with the American power company will allow Ontario to import electricity from New York state as needed to offset temporary reductions in generation due to scheduled maintenance. Maintenance began at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in September as part of a multi-year refurbishment plan.

“In response to facility maintenance recently requested to start this upcoming winter period through 2027 and 2028, the IESO is taking steps to secure additional short-term capacity to allow for required infrastructure maintenance and ensure system reliability,” said a press release from the IESO, which operates independently from the Ontario government to oversee the province’s electrical infrastructure.

The contract is meant to serve as a protective measure against supply shortages and potential blackouts when temperatures plummet, drawing electricity from Alpha Generation—an operator of five oil- and gas-powered facilities throughout New York state.

A spokesperson from Energy Minister Stephen Lecce’s office said that all energy supply and import decisions are made without the province’s input and referred the Epoch Times to the IESO for comment on the contract.

“The IESO makes all decisions regarding importing and exporting reliability,” the spokesperson said.

The Epoch Times contacted the IESO for comment on the contract, but did not hear back before publication time.

Ford threatened to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the United States in late August after Prime Minister Mark Carney withdrew Canadian negotiators from trade talks with the White House, citing unreasonable demands.

Ford told reporters that “everything is on the table,” including shutting off electricity exports to New York, Michigan, and Minnesota. Ford told reporters on Aug. 22 that Canada “never started this fight” but that Ontario would “use every single tool we have” to help the country amid trade tensions.

Ford’s government also imposed a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports to the three states in March 2025 in response to U.S. tariffs.

The surcharge took effect on March 10, 2025, and was expected to generate an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 per day, Ford told reporters at a news conference in Toronto that day. He said the surcharge would add about $100 per month to American electricity bills.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to double steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada from 25 percent to 50 percent in response. Ford agreed the following day to suspend Ontario’s electricity surcharge after being promised a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The Trump administration subsequently backed away from the proposed tariff increase, keeping the duties at 25 percent at the time. In June 2025, however, the United States raised steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 percent. Trump said the increase would “even further secure the steel industry in the United States.”