Leonard Kula will lead policy development and government relations in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, as well as oversee CanREA’s Technical and Utility Affairs.
Toronto, July 17 2023—CanREA welcomes Leonard Kula as its new Vice President of Policy—Eastern Canada and Utility Affairs. In this newly created role, Leonard will join CanREA’s Executive Team, lead our policy development and government relations team in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and oversee Technical and Utility Affairs, which includes the Operations Program team and CanREA’s Electricity Transition Hub team.
“Leonard is a seasoned expert with more than 35 years of experience in the electricity sector and in-depth knowledge relating to the electricity systems in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO.
“We are fortunate to have Leonard join us at this critical time for the future development and integration of solar, wind and energy storage across the country. He brings comprehensive electricity-system leadership and experience that will help CanREA be proactive in ensuring our technologies thrive and bring value to ratepayers during the ongoing energy transition.”
After holding a range of roles at Ontario Hydro for 13 years, Leonard joined Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) at its inception in 1999. He fulfilled various roles during his 23 years at the IESO, notably as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, he led a team of 300 people with responsibility for the reliable and efficient operation of the Ontario power system. This included long-term planning of transmission and supply resources, market design, resource procurement, real-time market and power system operations, engineering, and the Market Renewal Program.
In addition, from 2017-2022, Kula served on the Board of Directors of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC), enhancing power system reliability in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, New York and New England. NPCC is one of six regional reliability entities supporting NERC (the North American Electric Reliability Corporation).
“I am very excited to join CanREA—and to continue supporting power system reliability and affordability,” said Kula. “Governments, communities and businesses are exploring ways to shift away from fossil fuel-based energy. They are looking to clean electricity systems to power this transformation. CanREA members—developing and delivering electrical energy from renewables and storage—are well-positioned to help build the net-zero future.”
Leonard holds an MBA (York University), as well as both a MASc (University of Waterloo) and a BSc (University of Calgary) in Mechanical Engineering. He is based near Toronto.
To see CanREA’s growing roster of professionals serving Canada’s renewable energy industry, visit the “Our team” webpage. https://renewablesassociation.ca/team/
Quotes
“Leonard is a seasoned expert with more than 35 years of experience in the electricity sector and in-depth knowledge relating to the electricity systems in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. We are fortunate to have Leonard join us at this critical time for the future development and integration of solar, wind and energy storage across the country. He brings comprehensive electricity system leadership and experience that will help CanREA be proactive in ensuring our technologies thrive and bring value to ratepayers during the ongoing energy transition.”
—Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO
“I am very excited to join CanREA—and to continue supporting power system reliability and affordability. Governments, communities and businesses are exploring ways to shift away from fossil fuel-based energy. They are looking to clean electricity systems to power this transformation. CanREA members—developing and delivering electrical energy from renewables and storage—are well-positioned to help build the net-zero future.”
—Leonard Kula, CanREA’s incoming VP Policy—Eastern Canada and Utility Affairs
About the Canadian Renewable Energy Association
The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is the voice for wind energy, solar energy and energy storage solutions that will power Canada’s energy future. We work to create the conditions for a modern energy system through stakeholder advocacy and public engagement. Our diverse members are uniquely positioned to deliver clean, low-cost, reliable, flexible and scalable solutions for Canada’s energy needs. For more information on how Canada can use wind ene
