An area of focus for 2018 will be regulatory reform at the Ontario Energy Board ("OEB"), particularly in the area of technological innovation and empowering customers. Both the Minister of Energy and the OEB have launched initiatives to address, among other things, how the OEB can facilitate the use of innovative technologies, such as smart grid and storage through changes to OEB processes and rate design. One of the major areas of review will likely be with respect to the ability of local distribution companies to invest in "non-wires" solutions and recover the costs of these investments by rate payers. The OEB and the Minister may have different perspectives on this issue and it will be interesting to see how these dual, and perhaps competing initiatives will play out in 2018.
Links to both announcements are included below:
https://www.oeb.ca/sites/default/files/OEB-Strategic-Blueprint-2017-2022-E.pdf
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