Your Electricity System
In order to answer many questions about what we do or what we can do, it is important to understand the role of Thunder Bay Hydro within the provincial power grid.
Thunder Bay Hydro is a Local Distribution Company. We are owned by the city of Thunder Bay and run by a city appointed board. Our role is to take power off the provincial grid and distribute it to the residents and businesses within the city of Thunder Bay. We also distribute some locally generated power.
Ontario’s Electricity Grid
The provincial electricity grid was once one entity that we remember as Ontario Hydro. On April 1, 1999 the former Ontario Hydro was restructured into five different companies:
- Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
- generates about 70% of the electricity for Ontario through fossil, nuclear and hydroelectric plants.
- Hydro One
- runs most of the high voltage transmission and some of the distribution systems for power in Ontario.
- The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
- administers the electricity grid and ensures there is adequate supply of electricity on a day to day basis.
- Electrical Safety Authority
- enforces electrical safety across Ontario
- The Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation
- is responsible for servicing the debt and liabilities of the former Ontario Hydro that were not assigned to the successor companies.
To learn more, visit their websites or one of these other related provincial sites:
Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation
Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
This page last updated 2009-09-30.
