Under the recently added section 57.1 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, the OEB has the authority to grant licence exemptions for up to five years for innovative pilot projects. Section 57.1 enables the OEB to grant exemptions from the requirement to be licensed as an electricity distributor, retailer, wholesaler, unit sub-meter provider or gas marketer for a pilot or demonstration project that furthers its statutory objective to facilitate innovation in the electricity sector. Click here for more information.
The OEB's online portal for filing licence applications (new and renewals) features fully automated processes for user registration and digital signatures along with an e-payment system, offering a user-friendly experience for applicants and efficiencies for both the sector and the OEB.
Six forms are available through the portal: Electricity Generation, Electricity Retailer, Electricity Storage, Electricity Wholesaler, Gas Marketer and Unit Sub-Metering. PDF application forms will no longer be accepted for these licence types.
Current licensees of the above licence types:
- An account has been created for Primary Licence Contacts to access the portal. The Primary Licence Contact will receive an email from OEB Webmaster asking for a password to be created. They’re encouraged to do this step right away to complete the registration.
- Moving forward, additional users must be approved by the Primary Licence Contact before accessing the portal. An email will be sent to facilitate this approval.
New applicants can register for a new account through the Registration page.
Click the links below for information about the different licence types, including instructions for how to apply for each and payment of the application fee.
- Distribution Licence
- Transmission Licence
- Generation Licence (includes Feed-in Tariff Program)
- Storage Licence
- Electricity Retailer Licence
- Wholesaler Licence
- Unit Sub-Metering Licence
- Other Electricity Licences (i.e., the IESO, Smart Metering Entity)
- Gas Marketer Licence
Apply for an amendment to a licence
If you require an amendment to your licence, please use the following link for more information about applications for licence amendments.
How your licence application is processed
Most licence-related applications made to the OEB are decided by a Delegated Authority, pursuant to section 6 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, through an efficient administrative process, without holding a hearing. For information about Delegated Authority, visit Corporate governance and reports. These applications are typically decided within 60-90 days from the date of their completeness. In some instances (for example, where the Delegated Authority intends to modify the relief sought in the application), the applicant will be given an opportunity to provide final comments for the Delegated Authority’s further consideration, prior to the issuance of a Decision and Order.
In the case of some licence-related applications, the Delegated Authority may choose to hold a hearing and invite others to participate in the hearing. Typically, unless one of the parties can satisfy the OEB that an oral hearing is necessary, the hearing will be held in writing. In such instances where the Delegated Authority chooses to hold a hearing of the application, the OEB will issue a Notice of Application and Hearing, and may issue Procedural Orders, each of which will provide information relating to the application, participation in the hearing, and other procedural steps.
Finally, in a minority of cases, the OEB’s Chief Commissioner may transfer an application that was initially before a Delegated Authority to a panel of one or more Commissioners for determination. These are usually applications that raise significant factual, legal or policy issues; or, in the sake of efficiency, applications that are directly related to other matters currently before a panel.
To see timelines associated with licence-related applications decided through a hearing process, visit our Performance Standards for Processing Applications webpage.
Have a Question?
If you have any questions related to this process, contact Industry Relations.