SUNNY SHORES
PROJECT SUMMARY
Sunny Shores is a 14 MW transmission connected, solar PV facility in Picton, Ontario, developed by the founding Red Jar team starting in 2012. Initially highly constrained, the project required new land acquisition, renegotiation of a FIT (Feed-In Tariff) contract with the Ontario government and contracting and full-scale construction management of a Tier 1 EPC.
Red Jar initially engaged with a Southwestern Ontario farmer holding several FIT energy contracts, one of which aligned with the team’s objectives. The FIT contract was initially tied to an uneconomic, poorly located site 17 km from the nearest inter-connection point, controlled by a European offshore group. Red Jar successfully negotiated the landowner's profitable exit from this arrangement and relocated the project to a prime location, adjacent to an existing grid-connected transmission substation with available interconnection capacity. Red Jar restructured the overall business terms of the deal, renegotiated terms of the FIT contract with the Ontario Power Authority (now IESO), and ensured local benefits were maximized while preserving value for the landowner. The project was sold to Oakville Hydro (now OEC) as a fully approved, shovel-ready asset in 2014, with the Red Jar team overseeing PCL as the EPC, managing the construction, testing, and commissioning of the generating facility. Under the terms of the sale, ownership of the project will revert to Red Jar in 2035.
THE IMPACT
Sunny Shores demonstrates Red Jar’s ability to tenaciously navigate complex energy projects, unlock hidden value, and deliver successful renewable energy development projects, by leveraging our technical expertise and creative deal structuring acumen. The team transformed an uneconomic FIT contract and unfavourable transaction into a high-value renewable energy asset. The project strengthened relationships and bolstered our reputation with key stakeholders including the IESO, Hydro One, the Ministry of Energy and Oakville Hydro, while showcasing Red Jar’s expertise in complex, multi-party negotiations and energy infrastructure development. As a long-term asset, Sunny Shores has provided exceptional and sustained returns to Oakville Hydro and continues to contribute to Ontario’s clean energy future and support local economic growth.