Article
Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program (NIER) Continued Indefinitely
May 01, 2015
Ontario recently announced that the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate (NIER) program will be extended indefinitely. The NIER was introduced as a three-year program in 2010 and extended in 2012 for a second three-year term. Going forward, Ontario will continue to invest up to $120 million per year in the program.
Under the NIER program, Northern Ontario's largest industrial electricity consumers in the mining, oil and gas extraction and manufacturing sectors receive a rebate of two cents per kilowatt hour to offset the higher energy costs of operating in the north. Rebates are capped at a maximum of $20 million per year per company. The program is currently fully subscribed, however applications are still being accepted. As funds become available, new approved applicants will be accepted into the program.