A new partnership between Hydro One and The University of Western Ontario will increase the reliability and security of the electrical grid in Ontario and across Canada and promote opportunities for greener sources of energy to be integrated into the grid.
Hydro One Networks Inc. is providing funding of $2.5 million to Western to support:
- A Hydro One Chair in Power Systems Engineering - Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering research into power systems
- Student awards and scholarships
"This important agreement between Hydro One and Western, will promote the development of innovative electrical engineering solutions to support Hydro One's efforts to connect clean and renewable energy and help us realize our vision of a more flexible and smart electricity grid," said Tom Goldie, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services for Hydro One. "Not only will this partnership help Hydro One identify innovative electrical engineering solutions, it will also help us address the expected shortfall in power engineering expertise in the future."
"As the energy sector continues to grow in importance to businesses and to the public, this investment will give an important boost to research that will impact all of us," said Western President Amit Chakma. "Hydro One's past investment at our university has helped create a nationally and internationally recognized power group at Western, and this new commitment will bring benefits to both organizations and to hydro consumers."
An initial contribution of $1 million in 2001 established the Hydro One Chair in Power Systems Engineering, held by Tarlochan Sidhu, Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Hydro One also contributed $60,000 annually in support of scholarships to help produce graduates with a deep knowledge of power systems. Sidhu notes that Hydro One's commitment has allowed the university to focus on important research that will improve the company's ability to provide reliable, efficient, safe and greener electrical transmission and distribution services.
"The power sector is increasingly complex, and new challenges are presented every day," said Sidhu. "We are grateful that Hydro One recognizes that working together, we can help meet growing demands for technical expertise and for the highly skilled engineers who will be needed to keep the power sector strong and to advance the electric power grid."
The University of Western Ontario Faculty of Engineering has also filed an application for funding from NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) that would double the investment from Hydro One in their Power Systems Engineering Chair, and increase the research capacity of Western's well-respected power system group.
Contacts:
Western - Ann Hutchison
Director of Media Relations
519-661-2111, x85468
Hydro One - Daniele Gauvin
Media Relations
416-345-6908
