Ottawa residents may have to pay more for electricity over the next five years as Hydro Ottawa plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade aging infrastructure and improve “grid resilience.”
The utility has applied to the Ontario Energy Board to increase distribution rates by $6.08 per month in 2026, and then by $2.72 to $3.79 per month from 2027 to 2030.
The utility says the plan focuses on four investment priorities: growth and electrification — delivering power to a growing community, updating aging infrastructure, and modernizing the grid — enabling the energy transition and improving resilience.
Hydro Ottawa will spend $1.195 billion over five years to improve its hydro infrastructure, with 55 percent of the funding going toward “growth and electrification” to power the growing city and “meet customers’ changing energy needs, including solutions such as new technologies.”
The utility says its investment plan includes addressing energy transitions and emissions reductions, responding to rising costs, and hiring more workers.
“There is a critical need to grow the workforce and add new and improved skill sets,” the utility says. “Growth is necessary to meet business growth needs and ensure safe and efficient operations.”
Hydro Ottawa’s document describes the average monthly impact on residential and “general” customers using 2,000 kWh per month.
Residential
- 2026: $6.08/month ($40.59/month distribution fee)
- 2027: $3.79/month ($44.38/month distribution charge)
- 2028: $3.31/month ($47.69/month distribution fee)
- 2029: $2.72/month ($50.41/month distribution charge)
- 2030: $2.74/month ($53.15/month distribution fee)
General Service
- 2026: $14.57/month
- 2027: $8.42/month
- 2028: $7.50/month
- 2029: $6.62/month
- 2030: $5.80 per month