- In October 2020, Hydro Ottawa Group partnered with Zibi Canada and Kruger Products to launch a zero-carbon thermal district energy system for the 34-acre Zibi development, establishing it as the region’s first zero-carbon community. This system, operating in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, uses post-industrial waste heat recovery for heating and cooling. With the installation of the final segment of interprovincial pipe, the fully operational network avoided over 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2024.
- Hydro Ottawa Group’s partnership with The Ottawa Hospital’s new Civic campus project will create an energy-efficient central utility plant that will meet the hospital’s energy needs and could form the basis for a low-carbon district energy network in the downtown core. An updated design proposal was submitted in 2024, with groundbreaking anticipated in 2025, pending approvals.
- Envari Energy Solutions, a Hydro Ottawa Group subsidiary, is working to extract previously unused thermal energy from municipal wastewater. This energy will provide heating and cooling for mixed-use development in the LeBreton Flats, including residential units, retail space and affordable housing. In 2024, technical designs were completed and various legal and service agreements were reached. Additional due diligence is planned for 2025, with construction to begin shortly thereafter.
- Hydro Ottawa Group is supporting Ottawa’s transition to a 100 per cent electric bus fleet by completing the first phase of EV charging infrastructure for 30 buses in 2024 and initiating work on a new electrical substation, slated for completion in 2027. Additionally, a $3.2 million investment was made last year to support Stage 2 of the Light Rail Transit program.
- Hydro Ottawa Group is partnering with the Ottawa International Airport Authority to help them achieve their net-zero operation goals. Initiatives include installing EV charging infrastructure, modernizing building automation systems, implementing high-efficiency lighting, and evaluating on-site renewable energy potential.
- Hydro Ottawa Group is facilitating sustainable energy adoption for local organizations through its subsidiary Hydro Ottawa Limited. In 2024, the utility was selected by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to deliver the Ottawa Retrofit Accelerator program (ORA), a $10 million program running until March 31, 2027, that provides expert guidance to commercial, institutional, mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings for deep retrofits that significantly reduce emissions.
- In 2024, Hydro Ottawa Group announced an expanded partnership with Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) to save energy and lower emissions at OCH properties. This will involve installing heat pumps for zero-carbon heating and cooling, as well as building automation systems to optimize energy use. Through the Ottawa Retrofit Accelerator program, Hydro Ottawa Group is analyzing energy efficiency and emission reduction opportunities at 38 high-rise buildings within OCH’s portfolio.
Reducing Ottawa’s carbon footprint
Diverting waste and pollution
- Hydro Ottawa Group is committed to minimizing waste and implementing sustainable practices across our operations.
- Hydro Ottawa Group diverts, on average, more than 90 per cent of waste from landfill, and works with scrap metal companies to reclaim copper wire, steel, and aluminum from small transformers and meters.
- Two landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the Ottawa region are co-owned by Hydro Ottawa Group, under the Portage Power subsidiary. These facilities produce enough energy to power 10,000 homes annually, and prevent nearly 300,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from escaping into the atmosphere every year.
- Two of Hydro Ottawa Group’s operations centres and main office are LEED Gold Buildings certified.LEED Gold is a globally recognized benchmark for green building sustainability achievement. Rainwater harvesting and advanced filtration systems at the main office save 1.6 million litres of water annually.
Protecting land use and biodiversity
- Hydro Ottawa Group dedicated 15 acres of its newly built, 24-acre Cambrian transformer station site in Ottawa’s south end to create one of eastern Ontario’s largest pollinator meadows. Additionally, four acres were reforested with 2,750 trees. This initiative was made possible with partners: the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and the City of Ottawa.
- In May 2022, Hydro Ottawa Group employees partnered with a local community association and its volunteers to plant 300 trees as part of Tree Canada’s ‘Partners in Planting program.’ The site was carefully selected to help with carbon sequestration in the area, create habitat and slope stabilization, and prevent water runoff into a nearby stream.
- In 2022, Tree Canada planted 1,000 saplings across the province in support of Hydro Ottawa Group’s carbon reduction goals.
Building a culture of sustainability
- Hydro Ottawa Group’s Strategic Direction set goals to achieve net-zero operations by 2030 and becoming the first municipally-owned utility in Canada to reach this milestone. This aligns with the City of Ottawa’s Climate Change Master Plan to reduce community emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050.
- Hydro Ottawa was the first Canadian municipally-owned utility to issue a Green Bond, which supported the refurbishment of hydro assets and construction of its LEED Gold campuses. Additionally, Hydro Ottawa is the first Canadian utility to earn ISO 55001 certification for asset management. These initiatives align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals;
- Portage Power, a Hydro Ottawa Group subsidiary, is recognized as Ontario’s largest municipally-owned producer of green power, with hydroelectric, solar and landfill gas-to-energy generation facilities producing enough renewable electricity to power 110,000 homes annually. Portage Power’s renewable energy generation output has increased six-fold since 2012.
- In 2024, construction began on the Piperville Municipal Transformer Station, Hydro Ottawa Group’s first substation using low-carbon design, materials, and construction techniques. The station will support growing energy demand in the area, enhance system reliability during extreme weather, and facilitate the integration of new renewable energy sources. It is expected to be completed in 2026.
- Hydro Ottawa Group is dedicated to a greener supply chain, prioritizing suppliers within a 100-kilometre radius of the National Capital Region.
- At Hydro Ottawa Group’s East Campus, solar energy generation offsets approximately 25 per cent of the electrical energy demand, while our South Campus offsets more than 80 per cent of its electrical energy demand.
- Hydro Ottawa Limited has converted more than 70 per cent of customers to paperless billing, making Hydro Ottawa Limited the distribution utility with the highest online billing participation rate in the province;
- To date, Hydro Ottawa Group has converted more than 40 per cent of our fleet to flex-fuel, battery and hybrid technology. This includes 15 per cent electric vehicles, such as electric SUVs and pick-up trucks.
- To further support electric mobility for crews and employees, Hydro Ottawa Group has 70 EV chargers at its work centres;
- Hydro Ottawa Limited has lowered energy use at 52 of its 91 substations through the installation of building automation systems to control lighting and heating;
- Through targeted strategies, Hydro Ottawa Limited has successfully mitigated emissions of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a greenhouse gas that is almost 24,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, from its electrical distribution equipment by eliminating leakage, safely disposing of obsolete inventory containing SF6, and maximizing the use of alternative substances for equipment insulation.
- Hydro Ottawa Group received the Sustainable Electricity Leader designation in November 2021 from Electricity Canada, for meeting adherence to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management standard and ISO 26000 Social Responsibility guidelines. Hydro Ottawa Limited is the 11th utility in Canada and the third in Ontario to receive this designation.
- Hydro Ottawa Group is building a culture of safety, energy conservation and sustainability among children and youth from Kindergarten to Grade 12 through its education programs with Electricity Safety and Conservation and Relay Education. The program has educated more than 377,000 local students since its inception in 2001.