Class Environmental Assessment (EA)

Project Overview

Hydro One projects are subject to the Class Environmental Assessment for Transmission Facilities (2024), in accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The Class EA is a streamlined planning process that has proven effective in ensuring that transmission projects that have a predictable range of effects have feasible environmental mitigation and/or protection measures in place.

As part of the Class EA process, Hydro One will collect environmental data and consult with the relevant municipal, provincial and federal government officials, government agencies, First Nations and Métis communities, potentially affected and interested persons, and interest groups to identify potential environmental concerns for consideration and/or mitigation.

The Class EA for Transmission Facilities has provisions for some projects that are not expected to have significant environmental effects to be assessed under the Class EA Screening Process which involves applying a set of 16 screening criteria. If all screening criteria can be met through consultation and data collection, then the project could follow the Class EA Screening Process (rather than the full Class EA process).