APRIL 2026
CELEBRATING 147 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
THEGROWER.ORG
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
The greenhouse powerhouse lobbies for access to affordable hydro
Some southwestern Ontario greenhouse operators dimmed their state-of-the-art LED lights in winter 2026 because they couldn’t afford skyrocketing hydro costs. This shocking reality underlines the urgency of accessing affordable energy for horticulture to thrive. Here, brothers Rudy (left) and Albert Mastronardi, are relieved to have a tomato crop ready to harvest in mid-March near Kingsville, Ontario. Photo supplied.
KAREN DAVIDSON Frigid temperatures outside. Sizzling hydro rates inside. That’s what caused some Ontario greenhouse growers to dim their lights this past winter. They were forced to stall plant growth deliberately as hydro rates skyrocketed from five cents per kWh up to peak rates of 64 cents per kWh! Albert Mastronardi is a grower who experienced this crisis firsthand. He and his brother Rudy operate H&A Mastronardi Farms Ltd near Kingsville, Ontario, managing 12 acres of red grape tomatoes and another dozen acres of mini cucumbers. “The volatility of pricing was unimaginable,” recalls Mastronardi, who says the situation lasted from January through early March 2026. “We were managing hour to hour, not only with LED lighting but the spectrum as well. Far-red light, for example, requires higher consumption of
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power. So we experimented with the mix to manage costs.” The irony of this situation is that they invested in new dynamic LED lighting over the last couple years with the goal of improved sustainability, finetuning greenhouse lighting during the day and at night to optimize fruit load and quality. Their in-house computer system connects directly into the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) network to track price changes in real time. During periods of soaring spot pricing, the Mastronardi brothers micro-managed greenhouse operations, not only adjusting lighting but irrigation as well. Watering must be balanced to lighting conditions to ensure healthy root development. Absent integration of supplemental lighting and controlled irrigation, plants are weakened and yields diminished. As Mastronardi describes, rising electricity prices put H&A in a tight squeeze: dim the lights to manage costs or risk underdelivering contracted product to clients.
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Once a plant is in production, it is no longer a simple “flip the switch” decision. Historically, Ontario has had abundant electricity, but increasing industrial and consumer demand coupled with a stagnant and unreliable supply have considerably altered the economics of the province’s electricity generation. For the greenhouse industry, this has resulted in an operational dilemma where, in some cases, electricity costs exceed labour costs. “If we had perfect alignment with the stars, we would have reliable and affordable access to natural gas, hydro, water and wastewater facilities,” says Richard Lee, executive director, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG). “Our sector needs good policies at municipal, provincial and federal levels to reach sustainable and competitive goals.”
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