Author: theboss

OTTAWA – Today, Hydro Ottawa Group (Hydro Ottawa) is proud to announce its selection as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the 15th year. This prestigious designation recognizes the utility’s dual role as a leader in sustainable operations and a critical partner in helping the customers it serves transition to a net-zero future.

Guided by its own goal to achieve net-zero operations, Hydro Ottawa is accelerating its internal sustainability efforts while simultaneously expanding its grid capacity to meet increasing demand for electrification. From an expanding electric vehicle (EV) fleet to comprehensive carbon-pathway studies for its facilities, the utility is demonstrating that going green is both an environmental necessity and an operational advantage.

Central to this year’s recognition is Hydro Ottawa’s proactive support for its customers’ decarbonization journeys. The utility has a dedicated team to help customers reduce electricity consumption and improve efficiency through initiatives such as lighting retrofits, solar generation installations, and shifting to off-peak energy usage. Utilizing federal funding received two years ago, the utility provides commercial customers with third-party consulting services to audit operations. These audits deliver comprehensive decarbonization plans, enabling customers to achieve their net zero goals.

Quick Facts

• Fleet electrification: The 10-person field operators’ unit at Hydro Ottawa Limited, a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa Group, is the organization’s first unit with a fully electric mobile fleet, consisting of three electric pickup trucks. Currently, 15 per cent of the company’s total fleet is electrified, with 70 EV chargers installed across its work centres.
• Operational savings: Removing just one of the field operators’ gasoline pickup trucks from the road saves approximately $11,000 in fuel costs and 26 metric tonnes of CO2 per vehicle, per year – equivalent to the annual electricity use of nearly 24 homes.
• Decarbonizing the city: Hydro Ottawa is hyper-focused on making it easier for organizations in its community to participate in a sustainable energy future. In the final year of its strategic roadmap program, Hydro Ottawa has helped create decarbonization pathways for over 150 buildings in Ottawa, providing commercial customers with a 10-to-20-year plan for electrification and energy efficiency.
• Leading by example: Hydro Ottawa has completed carbon pathway studies for four of its major buildings, integrating these findings into its capital planning to transform its own facilities into low-carbon hubs.
• Renewable generation: Portage Power, Hydro Ottawa’s renewable generation subsidiary, remains 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).
• Sustainable infrastructure: Hydro Ottawa’s main office and two operations centres are LEED Gold certified. Solar energy generation at these facilities offsets approximately 25 per cent of energy demand at the East Campus and 80 per cent at the South Campus.
• Waste diversion: The utility continues to divert more than 90 per cent of its waste from landfills through robust recycling and metal reclamation programs for copper wire, steel, and aluminum.
• Grid innovation: To support local decarbonization, Hydro Ottawa is designing programs that partner with customers to leverage their own devices, such as EVs and batteries, to address grid needs and provide incentives for sustainable choices.

 

Quote

“Sustainability is no longer a choice to be weighed, but rather, the blueprint for our industry’s future. As a company, our mandate extends beyond operational excellence; we are the architects of an ecosystem that empowers our customers to realize their own climate ambitions. This recognition is a testament to our employees, whose tireless pursuit of innovation is building a cleaner, more resilient Ottawa.” 

– Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Media contact:

Susan Fekete
Manager, External and Corporate Affairs
Hydro Ottawa Group
(613) 738-5499 x2345

[email protected]
www.hydroottawagroup.com

OTTAWA – By investing in the specialized skills and career trajectories of its engineering and technical teams, Hydro Ottawa Group (Hydro Ottawa) has once again been recognized as one of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers.

As the electricity sector undergoes an unprecedented expansion to support population growth and community-wide electrification, Hydro Ottawa is distinguishing itself through a dedicated focus on ‘upskilling’ opportunities and versatile career development for its employees. This year’s recognition highlights the company’s commitment to providing engineers and technical professionals with the freedom to work across disciplines – from solar installations and hydroelectric maintenance to dam safety and grid operations.

To meet the demands of a rapidly evolving energy landscape, Hydro Ottawa has launched new programs and enhanced existing ones aimed at internal mobility. This includes a specialized development program for engineering interns and new graduates to help them meet the knowledge and experience requirements of the licensing process, alongside a new technical career path that allows engineers to advance into intermediate, senior and lead engineering roles without being limited to a traditional management pipeline.

Quick Facts

Hydro Ottawa invests heavily in a culture of continuous learning, offering role-specific training that allows employees to use the full breadth of their technical knowledge. Across its companies, Hydro Ottawa invests close to 40 hours per employee annually on training in trades and safe work practices, business skills, management and leadership development.

The company supports its employees’ holistic well-being with an $1,800 mental health practitioner benefit and access to virtual health and wellbeing resources and services.

Hydro Ottawa fosters a strong sense of community and purpose, with employees contributing 538 volunteer hours to local causes last year.

With nearly 17,000 job applications received last year, the utility remains a destination of choice for talent in the National Capital Region.

The National Capital Region’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.

Quote

“As we transition to a smarter, decarbonized power grid, our work is no longer just about maintaining infrastructure; it’s about pioneering the digital nervous system of our city. Our engineers are architecting solutions for a net-zero future, effectively redefining the role of the modern engineer. As one of the top employers in the electricity sector, we’re counting on them to help us solve the greatest energy challenges of our generation.”

– Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer

Media contact:
Susan Fekete
Manager, External and Corporate Affairs
Hydro Ottawa Group
(613) 738-5499 x2345
[email protected]
www.hydroottawagroup.com

OTTAWA – Today, Hydro Ottawa Group (Hydro Ottawa) was recognized as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People. This award highlights the company’s commitment to fostering a new generation of talent through cutting-edge technology, robust apprenticeship programs, and a culture of continuous learning.

Hydro Ottawa is in the midst of an organization-wide knowledge transfer. About 35 per cent of the company’s employees are under the age of 35 — a figure that continues to rise as the company recruits the next generation of talent to help meet growing energy demands while its long-term employees prepare for retirement.

To support the expanding demographic of young employees, Hydro Ottawa is leveraging innovative technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), to provide immersive technical and safety training. These tools allow apprentices and students to get “hands-on” experience working through complex scenarios in a controlled, safe environment before heading into the field.

Hydro Ottawa offers exciting careers and programs designed to ensure young workers can make meaningful contributions to the organization and community early in their careers.

Quick Facts

• Approximately 35 per cent of Hydro Ottawa’s workforce is under the age of 35, with many long-term employees getting ready to retire.
• The company is bringing back recent retirees as instructors for its powerline technician program delivered in conjunction with Algonquin College, and as mentors for its apprenticeship programs, to make sure younger employees can take advantage of their decades of knowledge and experience.
• The company has partnerships with Algonquin College and Carleton University to promote careers in the energy sector and encourage women to enter skilled trades, technical and engineering roles.
• Hydro Ottawa is leveraging VR and video-based training to help employees master complex technical tasks in a risk-free environment before performing them in the field.
• This is the 11th time Hydro Ottawa has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

Quotes

“I’m always proud when I hear we’ve won this award. As the energy sector undergoes its most significant transformation, we’re looking to the next generation to help us lead the way as our business continues to grow. By empowering young talent with the latest technologies and interactive training, we’re helping to ignite the passion and innovative thinking needed to build a smarter, more sustainable future for our community.”

– Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer

Media contact:

Susan Fekete
Manager, External and Corporate Affairs
Hydro Ottawa Group
(613) 738-5499 x2345
[email protected]
www.hydroottawagroup.com

About Hydro Ottawa Group

Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. [operating under the brand ‘Hydro Ottawa Group’] is a private company 100 per cent owned by the City of Ottawa and whose strategic business lines include electricity distribution, renewable energy generation, energy solutions, telecommunications and utility services. As a future-powered energy provider and partner in key green energy projects, the Hydro Ottawa Group is committed to innovation, community and sustainability. It owns and operates four primary subsidiary companies that drive its vision for a dynamic energy future: Hydro Ottawa Limited – a local distribution company that delivers electricity to approximately 372,000 customers in Ottawa and Casselman; Portage Power – the largest municipally-owned producer of renewable energy in the province of Ontario with 131 megawatts of installed green generation capacity (enough to power 110,000 homes); Envari – an innovative energy solutions company offering products and services designed to improve energy efficiency and drive cost savings for municipalities, industrial and business clients, governments and utilities; and hiboo networks – a high-speed fibre optic network solutions and internet services company focused on powering a strong digital future by providing secure and scalable connectivity for customers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Learn more: hydroottawagroup.com

OTTAWA – Today, Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. (‘Hydro Ottawa’) presented its 2024 Annual Report, highlighting successes in maintaining a safe and reliable supply of electricity, enabling sustainable energy solutions for customers and achieving milestones across its diverse lines of business.

Board Chair, Bernie Ashe, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Bryce Conrad, presented the company’s 2024 financial results during the Annual General Meeting before Ottawa City Council. They also provided an update on local clean energy project partnerships, the recently completed financial restructuring of the company and plans for investing in distribution system infrastructure over the coming years to support the city’s growth and increased electrification.

As part of the presentation, the company introduced its refreshed brand identity—Hydro Ottawa Group. This change reflects a more comprehensive identity focused on empowering customers through the delivery of sustainable energy solutions and reflects the promise to enable a smarter energy future by leading innovation, fostering community and embracing sustainability.

Quick Facts

• In accordance with the City Council-approved dividend policy, Hydro Ottawa’s dividend payment to the City will be $22.3 million this year, which will be used by the City to fund municipal programs and services. 

• In 2024, Hydro Ottawa maintained best-in-class reliability and achieved its best-ever outage frequency result. On average, customers had power 99.98 per cent of the time.

• As part of its ongoing focus on improving emergency preparedness and response, the company introduced two-way outage communications, enabling customers to report outages and register for outage alerts via text message.

• Hydro Ottawa undertook a corporate restructuring to better position the company for long-term financial success. This provided an immediate benefit to its credit rating, creating a stronger posture for executing on major investment plans and increasing capacity for growth and diversification.

• Significant milestones were achieved in support of the City of Ottawa’s Zero Emission Bus project, including completion of the first tranche of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure installation and the initiation of a new electrical substation project providing dedicated capacity for bus charging.

• Planning and design advanced for two major local sustainability partnerships: the energy-efficient central utility plant for The Ottawa Hospital’s new Civic campus and a wastewater heat recovery pilot project for a residential development in downtown Ottawa. 

• Portage Power, the company’s renewable energy subsidiary, produced a record-high volume of clean electricity across its 36 stations as a result of hydroelectric plant upgrades and water flow optimization.

• Envari, the company’s energy solutions provider, continued to support key partners like the Ottawa International Airport Authority, Ottawa Community Housing and Renfrew County school boards in reducing their energy consumption and carbon emissions through sustainable energy initiatives.

• Hiboo networks, the company’s telecommunications subsidiary, completed its first full year of operations. It continued to focus on acquiring customers, expanding its network and building internal capacity for long-term value creation. It was also a founding partner in CommuniFi, a pilot project offering free Wi-Fi for Ottawa Community Housing tenants.

• As part of its commitment to achieving net-zero operations, Hydro Ottawa expanded its corporate EV fleet, installed additional EV chargers at its work centres and broke ground on the Piperville Municipal Transformer Station, its first substation being designed and constructed using low-carbon techniques. As noted in the Annual Report, there was a 24 per cent year-over-year reduction in corporate emissions within the company’s control (known as Scope 1 emissions) relative to the prior reporting year.

• Hydro Ottawa is dedicated to making the communities it serves better places to live, work and play. In 2024, its employee-driven charitable campaign raised approximately $142,000 for United Way East Ontario and $151,000 for The Royal Ottawa Prompt Care Clinic. The company also contributed $76,000 through its Community Investment Program to sponsor local organizations seeking to build stronger and healthier communities and support vulnerable groups.

 

 

Quotes

“2024 marked a year of strong financial and operational performance across our core business lines. With a new organizational structure in place, Hydro Ottawa is well-positioned to build on this momentum as we prepare to embark on the largest grid investment program in our history. We look forward to elevating our engagement and partnerships with customers and stakeholders as we help deliver the energy transition and lead the way to a smarter energy future.”
– Bernie Ashe, Chair, Board of Directors

“Everywhere you look in the nation’s capital, Hydro Ottawa is at the forefront of transforming how we use and think about energy—whether it’s meeting the demand for more clean electricity or deploying customized solutions for high-rises, hospitals, homeowners and everyone in between. We will remain relentless in our quest to be the trusted energy advisor and partner for our customers, and to unlock new value for our community through sustainability and innovation.”

– Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Media contact:

Susan Fekete
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
Hydro Ottawa Group
[email protected]
613-738-5499, ext. 2345

About Hydro Ottawa Group

Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. [operating under the brand ‘Hydro Ottawa Group’] is a private company 100 per cent owned by the City of Ottawa and whose strategic business lines include electricity distribution, renewable energy generation, energy solutions, telecommunications and utility services. As a future-powered energy provider and partner in key green energy projects, the Hydro Ottawa Group is committed to innovation, community and sustainability. It owns and operates four primary subsidiary companies that drive its vision for a dynamic energy future: Hydro Ottawa Limited – a local distribution company that delivers electricity to approximately 372,000 customers in Ottawa and Casselman; Portage Power – the largest municipally-owned producer of renewable energy in the province of Ontario with 131 megawatts of installed green generation capacity (enough to power 110,000 homes); Envari – an innovative energy solutions company offering products and services designed to improve energy efficiency and drive cost savings for municipalities, industrial and business clients, governments and utilities; and hiboo networks – a high-speed fibre optic network solutions and internet services company focused on powering a strong digital future by providing secure and scalable connectivity for customers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Learn more: hydroottawagroup.com