Hydro Ottawa increases renewable energy production and earns LEED Gold certification; making Canada's Greenest Employer list for 12th Year Français
OTTAWA, ON, April 18, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. celebrates its 12th win as one of Canada's Greenest Employers. This year's selection recognizes the company's end-to-end approach to sustainability: increasing production of clean, renewable energy; helping customers conserve energy and lead energy-efficient lifestyles; building and designing its facilities to meet LEED Gold standards; implementing green technology; and building a culture of sustainability within its own organization.
Climate change, coupled with the push for electrification, is driving innovation and change in the electricity sector. As a trusted voice in the industry, Hydro Ottawa proactively seeks opportunities to help shape policy, regulatory and operational responses to these critical issues and endeavours to play a leading role in helping the city of Ottawa, and its residents, businesses and institutions, reduce their energy footprint, in the transition to net zero.
Given the inextricable link between energy and the environment, Hydro Ottawa is committed to leading the way to a smart energy future by advancing energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy generation. Hydro Ottawa's pledge to transition its operations to net zero by 2030 is a first for any municipally-owned utility company in Canada.
- In December 2022, Hydro Ottawa (through its subsidiary, Portage Power) acquired two additional hydroelectric generating stations from TransAlta Renewables located on the Mississippi River in the towns of Appleton and Galetta Falls. Together, these facilities generate an average of 12.5 gigawatt hours of clean energy annually.
- Portage Power is Ontario's largest municipally-owned producer of green power, with hydroelectric, solar and landfill gas-to-energy facilities generating 131 megawatts of renewable electricity (enough to power 110,000 homes annually).
- In 2022, Hydro Ottawa's two operations centres and main office (built in 2019) officially received LEED Gold Buildings certification, a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement for green buildings.
- Solar energy generation at Hydro Ottawa's new facilities offsets approximately 18 per cent of the energy demand at its East Campus and 100 per cent at its South Campus.
- Hydro Ottawa consistently diverts more than 90 per cent of its waste from landfill, and works with scrap metal companies to perform metal reclamation of copper wire, steel and aluminum from its small transformers and meters.
- Approximately 1.6 million litres of water are saved per year thanks to rainwater harvesting and an advanced filtration system at the main office.
- Now offered in a virtual format, Hydro Ottawa's education program, in partnership with Electricity Safety and Conservation and Relay Education, builds awareness and a culture of conservation and sustainability among elementary-aged children; the program has educated just over 325,000 local students since its inception.
- To date, Hydro Ottawa has converted more than 40 per cent of its fleet to flex-fuel, battery and hybrid technology, and lowered energy use at 52 of its 91 substations through the installation of building automation systems to control lighting and heating.
- Hydro Ottawa is a catalyst member of EnviroCentre and Carbon613, a growing network of organizations that are setting and achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets in Ottawa.
- Envari, Hydro Ottawa's energy management subsidiary, continues to upgrade a City of Ottawa wastewater treatment plant by replacing the plant's three cogeneration engines, and adding a fourth, which will eliminate 1,565 tonnes of CO2 per year and reduce utility costs by $80M over 25 years.
"Our employees are passionate about leaving an environmental legacy that they can look back on and claim as theirs. They want their work to matter and know that they positively contributed to a clean and renewable energy future for our city and all its residents. I'm proud to say that our employees apply that sustainability mindset to their work every single day. They're not only helping us reach our goal to be net-zero in our operations by 2030, they are guiding the residents of Ottawa on their journey to be more energy efficient, too."
- Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer
Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. (Hydro Ottawa) is a private company 100 per cent owned by the City of Ottawa and whose core businesses are electricity distribution, renewable energy generation, and energy and utility services. As a leading partner in a smart energy future, Hydro Ottawa is committed to sustainability and reducing its impact on the environment in all aspects of its operations. It owns and operates three primary subsidiary companies: Hydro Ottawa Limited – a local distribution company that delivers electricity to more than 354,000 customers in the City of Ottawa and the Village of Casselman; Portage Power – the largest Ontario-based municipally-owned producer of green power with 131 megawatts of installed green generation capacity (enough to power 110,000 homes); and Envari – an energy solutions company offering products and services that help reduce energy consumption and costs for municipalities, industrial and commercial clients, and various local distribution companies.
SOURCE Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.
Media Contact: Josée Larocque, Manager, Media and Public Affairs, Hydro Ottawa, Tel: 613-738-5499 ext. 2345, [email protected], www.hydroottawa.com
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