Hydro One has been given permission to pursue a $635-million electricity super-highway that will bring 3,000 megawatts of power down to the GTA.
The new line, the biggest transmission project in two decades, will be able to transmit enough power to meet the needs of 2.4 million people -- about Toronto's current population.
The Ontario Energy Board approved the project, giving the Crown hydro distribution corporation "leave to construct."
The line will stretch from Kincardine in Bruce County on Lake Huron down to a switching station in Milton.
The provincial government argues that the new supply is needed to prevent blackouts. The GTA's population is growing and there are plans to for the Bruce Power nuclear facility to expand its output.
Wind power is also being developed in the Bruce area.
The project must be approved under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act process. The proposed route also crosses over some native lands and will run adjacent to an existing corridor.
Laura Formusa, president and CEO of Hydro One, said her corporation is "sensitive to the concerns of property owners, First Nations, Metis, local municipalities and stakeholders affected by the project."
Hydro One has been "working with them from day one and will to continue to do so to ensure their concerns are managed in a way that is fair and responsible," she said in a news release.
However, if all goes well, the line should be completed and operating by December 2011.
Hydro One estimates the line will add 50 cents to the bill of a person who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month. Others claim it could be up to one dollar per month for families in detached homes.
