Feed-in Tariff Program   

May 31, 2013

TO ALL SMALL FIT APPLICANTS

Thank you for your interest in Ontario’s FIT program.

In the past few days, the OPA has started to receive feedback from applicants, asking for more information about why their applications failed and for the opportunity to correct errors.

We appreciate these concerns and are taking steps to address them.

Unsuccessful applicants can reapply

All unsuccessful applicants will have an opportunity to reapply during the next Small FIT application period to open in fall 2013.

The Ontario Power Authority will hold Small FIT webinars starting in June 2013 to review the program requirements, discuss the most common issues encountered during the application review and to discuss how we can work together to improve the process.

Common issues
A transparent process
Working together

Common issues

The following is a summary of some of the most common and most frequently occurring issues.

• Missing supporting materials submission. Applications required both an online electronic submission and a follow-up hard copy package that included supporting materials. Some applicants only provided online applications.
• Wrong fees and securities provided (incorrect amounts, improper format, for example, cheques not certified).
• Wrong or inconsistent legal names. An applicant may have identified a certain legal name (‘Company X Inc’). Other supporting materials received would then either identify a legal name of some variation of the Company X name (‘Company X Inc LP’) or possibly an entirely different company name. Variations of a company name were not acceptable as every different company name may be a separate legal entity.  
• Missing originals. Photocopies of forms and supporting documents were submitted rather than required originals. Many of these forms required signatures, including those of a third-party engineer.
• FIT reference numbers were not included on documents. These numbers are critical for tracking which materials, including fees and securities, belong to which application throughout the review process.
• Missing required forms altogether.
• Incomplete forms.
• Inconsistent and inaccurate forms.
• Unacceptable locations. Some projects were attempting to locate on prime agricultural lands, or to build on or next to residential properties.
• Lease, Option and Site Access Rights were not in the name of the applicant.
• Lease, Option and Site Access Rights conditions were in favour of the landlord.

A transparent process

The OPA is committed to managing successful procurements of clean energy. To that end, our procurement processes are designed to be fair and transparent. We appreciate the effort that goes into each application.

 To ensure all applicants received objective and equal treatment, the OPA hired an independent evaluation monitor, through a competitive tender (request for proposal). Using an evaluation monitor is a regular practice in large public sector procurement processes and at the OPA.

The evaluation monitor reviewed a selected sampling of different types of applications to ensure the criteria for review was being applied objectively and consistently to all applicants.

Specifically, the evaluation monitor was responsible for reviewing the:

• small FIT project evaluation criteria for objectivity and integrity
• selection process to ensure it was suitable and objectively conducted
• communication process to ensure an equitable opportunity was provided to all applicants to participate in the FIT process and to ensure adherence to the OPA process. 

The independent evaluation monitor is also responsible for providing a written opinion regarding the integrity of the review and contracting process once the contracts have been issued and the process has been concluded.

Working together

Thank you again for your comments. We appreciate your feedback and your interest in making the FIT program a success.

We look forward to hearing from you at our June webinars. In the meantime, please contact the FIT team at FIT@powerauthority.on.ca if you have additional questions or comments. 

May 14, 2013: Initial Reviews Completed for Small FIT Applications

The OPA received almost 4,000 Small FIT applications from across the province during the application window that opened on December 14, 2012, and closed on January 18, 2013. 

The OPA, together with an independent Evaluation Monitor, has now completed its review to determine if the applications were complete and eligible. Over the next week, all applicants will receive a message on their My FIT Home Page on the status of their applications.  

Applications that passed both the completeness and eligibility reviews will move onto the transmission and distribution availability testing in the order in which they have been ranked, according to the priority points awarded during the review process.  The time stamp has been used to determine the order where applications had the same number of points.

Up to 200 MW of contracts are expected to be offered in the summer of 2013 to applications that pass the transmission and distribution availability testing once testing is complete.

Applications that did not pass the completeness and eligibility reviews will be terminated and will not be subject to further testing.

For more information, click here for FAQs.