Cablegate: Ontario Still Clarifying Domestic Content Rules for Feed-In
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHON #0074 0321916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011915Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL TORONTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0086
INFO ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS TORONTO 000074
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT PASS TO FERC
DEPT PASS TO USTR/MARY SULLIVAN
DEPT PASS TO EPA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ENRG SENV CA
SUBJECT: Ontario Still Clarifying Domestic Content Rules for Feed-in
Tariff Program; Quebec Not Granted Domestic Status
REF: (A) TORONTO 58; (B) 09 TORONTO 255; (C) 09 TORONTO 229
Sensitive But Unclassified -- Please Protect Accordingly.
1. (SBU) A senior Ontario official told Post on January 29 that the
Province's trade and cooperation agreement with Quebec, signed in
September 2009, falls short of granting Quebec domestic status in
Ontario. Contrary to speculation, Quebec-based companies applying
for Ontario's FIT program are required to meet the same Ontario
domestic content requirements as foreign companies.
2. (SBU) The Ontario Power Authority (OPA), responsible for
procuring new electricity generation in the Province, received
roughly 1,000 applications for projects over 10 kilowatts (kW) and
nearly 1,200 microFIT applications (mostly for residential roof-top
solar power systems) during the first round of the FIT program in
October and November 2009. The larger scale FIT applications are
still being assessed; the OPA will release their decisions in March
2010.
JOHNSON