Building a Resilient and Sustainable National Capital Region

THE NATION’S CAPITAL faces a transformative opportunity. To effectively navigate the challenges posed by a rapidly changing climate, a growing population, ambitious decarbonization targets, and the burgeoning energy needs of the digital age, a bold and innovative approach to energy infrastructure is paramount. Seizing this moment, Hydro Ottawa is actively shaping the future, positioning itself as the leading authority and driving force in building the National Capital Region’s dynamic and sustainable energy future.

This proactive commitment is operationalized through Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.’s four key subsidiary companies: Hydro Ottawa Limited, ensuring a reliable and increasingly green electricity distribution system; Portage Power, leading as the province’s largest municipally-owned producer of renewable power; Envari Energy Solutions (Envari), delivering customized and innovative turn-key energy solutions for large users; and hiboo networks, providing high-speed advanced fibre optic connectivity. This comprehensive structure enables Hydro Ottawa to address the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of the energy transition.

The global energy transition is driven by evolving climate policy, rapid innovation in renewables and smart grid solutions, the compelling economics of clean energy, increasing investor focus on sustainability, and a rising public demand for a healthier environment. The scale of this shift is immense, with projections indicating a doubling of clean energy investments over fossil fuels this year alone.

Meanwhile, the digital era is accelerating energy demand—data centres and AI applications are placing unprecedented strains on energy systems, with some facilities consuming the annual power equivalent of millions of laptops.

In Canada, the challenge is twofold: electrify the economy and scale the grid to meet demand, which may require doubling or tripling capacity in just 25 years. Meeting this moment calls for visionary energy planning and a nation-building effort rivaling the scale of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Beyond grid enhancements, Hydro Ottawa and its subsidiaries are actively fostering a sustainable energy future through a growing portfolio of clean energy projects and strategic partnerships that deliver tangible benefits to the Ottawa community. These initiatives empower residents, businesses and communities to reduce their carbon footprint, optimize energy consumption, and embrace locally sourced renewable energy.

Rendering of The Ottawa Hospital central utility plant building

A key area of focus is the development and expansion of district energy systems (DES). These efficient networks efficiently distribute heating and cooling through interconnected underground pipes, often leveraging underutilized energy sources like waste heat. Hydro Ottawa’s successful collaboration on the Zibi community’s DES, which captures post-industrial waste heat from the Kruger paper factory to provide net-zero carbon heating and cooling for the entire development, exemplifies the transformative potential of this approach.

Building on this success, Hydro Ottawa is partnering with The Ottawa Hospital on its new Civic campus to develop a cutting-edge low-carbon central utility plant. This facility aims to be a model for sustainable healthcare energy systems in Canada, with the potential for future expansion to provide low-carbon heating and cooling to neighbourhoods in and around the Carling Avenue corridor.

Furthermore, Hydro Ottawa, through its subsidiary Envari, is helping to shape the future of sustainable urban energy with Lebreton Community Utility project. At the heart of this transformative initiative is an advanced Sewage Energy Exchange System (SEES) at the LeBreton Flats redevelopment. This clean technology will harness the untapped thermal potential of wastewater to deliver clean, efficient heating and cooling. Powered by cutting-edge Canadian technology from SHARC Energy Systems, this innovative system will debut at DREAM’s Odenak development utilizing highly efficient heat pumps and operating entirely without fossil fuel inputs.

Once completed, the SEES will provide more than 9 MW of capacity for approximately 2.4 million sq ft of development. By eliminating an estimated 5 kilotons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the SEES represents a bold shift toward climate-aligned infrastructure and resilient communities. As a flagship project aligned with the City of Ottawa’s Climate Change Master Plan, it exemplifies Hydro Ottawa’s strategic vision of being the partner of first choice for signature green energy and carbon reduction solutions that redefine what’s possible in urban sustainability.

Rendering of the Zibi community that straddles the Ottawa River

As Ottawa builds for the future in an era of unprecedented energy transformation, Hydro Ottawa is proud to be at the forefront of developing a smart and sustainable energy ecosystem. By investing in a modern and resilient grid capable of meeting growing demands, championing innovative clean energy technologies, and prioritizing environmental responsibility in all that we do, we are committed to powering Ottawa’s growth in a way that benefits our economy, our health, and our environment for generations to come.