Ontario imposes 25% surcharge on electricity exports to US

OTTAWA (Reuters) – The Canadian province of Ontario is imposing a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to New York state, Michigan and Minnesota to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Premier Doug Ford said on Monday.

“President Trump’s tariffs are a disaster for the U.S. economy. They’re making life more expensive for American families and businesses,” Ford said in a statement.

“Until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario won’t back down. We’ll stand strong, use every tool in our toolkit and do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.”

Ford said the government had told the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator that any generator selling electricity to the U.S. was now required to add a 25% surcharge valued at $10 per megawatt-hour to the cost of power.

At this level, the surcharge will generate revenue of C$300,000 to C$400,000 ($432,346 to $576,462) per day, the statement said.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Paul Simao)