November 4, 2013

Background

This document is intended for proponents interested in developing potential renewable energy sites located in whole or in part on provincial Crown land that are considering applying to the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff 3 (FIT 3) program for projects >10 kW to <500 kW. This document does not apply to proponents interested in developing sites located on federal or private land.

In support of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ modernization of approvals, the Ministry has aligned its application process for access to provincial Crown land for renewable energy development with this Ontario Power Authority (OPA) energy procurement program application process. As part of these alignment efforts, MNR will provide direct site access to Crown land for successful OPA FIT 3 procurement contract recipients.

The following steps are to help guide proponents through the FIT 3 application process, where they are interested in accessing a potential renewable energy site(s) on provincial Crown land:

Pre-contract process

  1. Review the FIT 3 program information and resources provided on the OPA’s FIT Program
  2. Review the information and resources provided on the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Renewable energy on Crown land webpage, including the Crown Land Site Report for the OPA FIT 3 Program and FIT 3 MNR Guidance for Contract Recipients
  3. Review the Water Power Sites or Wind Power Sites maps and/or the Ontario Renewable Energy Atlas to ensure that the provincial Crown land site(s) of interest are not occupied by an existing Applicant of Record and/or energy procurement contract holder.
  4. Register with the OPA for the FIT program, and submit a FIT 3 application online.
  5. In accordance with the FIT 3 Rules, proponents without pre-existing Crown land site access (e.g. Applicant of Record status) should download and complete the Crown Land Site Report for the OPA FIT 3 Program. Within 5 business days of submitting a FIT 3 online application to the OPA, submit the completed Crown Land Site Report for the OPA FIT 3 Program to MNR, along with a hard copy of the corresponding FIT 3 application.
  6. If the proposed FIT 3 renewable energy project is offered a procurement contract by the OPA, review the post-contract requirements outlined in the FIT 3 MNR Guidance for Contract Recipients document.
  7. FIT 3 contract recipients that do not have an existing Crown land application must submit an official Application for Crown Land, including the appropriate application fee(s).
  8. Following the completion of requirements for obtaining site access to Crown land detailed in the FIT 3 MNR Guidance for Contract Recipients, FIT 3 contract recipients can commence the regulatory approvals review process, including Aboriginal community and public consultation, and seek all necessary approvals and permits for their proposed provincial Crown land renewable energy project.