Sharon Wong, Toronto

About Sharon

Sharon retired as a Blakes Partner in December 2023, having specialized in energy law, with a focus on regulatory matters and complex commercial arrangements. In her practice, she acted for sophisticated electricity industry clients on a wide range of regulatory and commercial issues. Her clients included electricity generators, industrial customers seeking to enter into distributed generation and storage agreements, energy traders who import and export electricity and clients involved in M&A transactions related to energy companies. Sharon represented clients at regulatory hearings, in compliance investigations and with respect to disputes relating to the IESO Market Rules. She gained extensive experience advising with respect to power purchase agreements, interconnection agreements, district energy arrangements, and other complex contracts in the energy industry.

Sharon also advised clients on litigation issues relating to the power industry, including commercial disputes, product liability, breach of contract claims, construction claims, and negligence matters.

Sharon appeared as trial and appellate counsel before all levels of courts in Ontario and before various federal courts and tribunals. In addition to representing her clients' interests in court, she also assisted on matters such as through mediation and arbitration.

Select Experience

Advising the Government of Mauritius regarding a district energy cooling loop that will utilize deep ocean water for cooling energy
Provided IESO and OEB regulatory advice to Capstone Infrastructure Corporation with respect to its acquisition of a 29-MW portfolio of onshore wind parks in Ontario from Wpd Europe GmbH
Provided regulatory and commercial advice with respect to the creation of a joint venture between H2O Power and Watergen Canada Holdings for the ownership and operation of their eight hydroelectric generating facilities in Ontario with capacity of approximately 150 MW, including with respect to their power purchase agreement with the IESO and regulatory approvals from the Ontario Energy Board
Represented major Canadian electricity traders in various disputes with Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) over settlement credits payable under the IESO Market Rules
Represented electricity traders with respect to compliance investigations initiated by the IESO's Market Assessment and Compliance Division
Representing a hydro-electric generator with respect to claims being brought by several First Nations alleging the historic and ongoing flooding of their reserves related to the operations of the generating station
Advised an energy solutions company on the creation of its template power savings agreement for providing distributed energy resources to reduce peak electricity and global adjustment charges
Advised several industrial clients with respect to proposed distributed energy contracts for the installation of generating or battery storage facilities behind-the-meter to reduce peak electricity and global adjustment charges
Represented an Ontario Crown corporation with respect to the negotiation and execution of a 20-year district energy contract
Advised a large Canadian retailer in respect of a joint venture with an energy solutions company in connection with the installation and operation of back-up generators at various retail locations in Ontario and the resulting impact on their participation in Ontario's IESO-controlled power markets
Advised a wind generator with respect to various disputes with the IESO relating to its Feed-in-Tariff contract with the IESO
Provided regulatory advice with respect to H2O Power's $400-million private placement of fixed-rate senior secured notes to refinance the long-term operation of eight hydroelectric generating facilities in Ontario
Provided regulatory advice to EPCOR Utilities Inc. and Capital Power Corporation in respect to Capital Power's C$500-million initial public offering of its common shares
Represented a major Canadian renewable energy developer with respect to land requirements and easement agreements for construction of a proposed two-circuit, 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line running approximately 90 km
Represented Canadian Hydro Developers in their successful application to the OEB for leave to construct a 230 kV electricity transmission line and associated facilities from Wolfe Island under the waters of Lake Ontario to the city of Kingston
Represented Yellow Falls Power Limited Partnership in their successful application to the OEB for leave to construct a 25 km transmission line in northern Ontario, including advising on First Nation/Indigenous issues relating to the project
Represented Boralex before the Environmental Review Tribunal in respect to the appeal of Boralex Renewable Energy Approval of its Port Ryerse wind project
Successfully represented an electricity commodities trader in a C$4-million breach of contract claim against the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation relating to a contract to administer approximately 90 electricity power purchase contracts and to manage the resale of that electricity into Ontario's electricity market
Represented Union Gas and Dawn Gateway Pipeline Limited Partnership at the OEB in regulatory proceedings related to the development of the Dawn Gateway Pipeline, in which the OEB granted a new form of complaints-based, light-handed regulation, never before used in Ontario
Representing Union Gas in the Natural Gas Electricity Interface Review proceeding in which the OEB decided to refrain from regulating a large portion of Union's natural gas storage business
Acting for Union Gas in subsequent OEB proceedings relating to the allocation of natural gas storage capacity in Ontario
Acting for Union Gas in respect of a dispute relating to a municipal franchise agreement to operate gas pipelines in the city of Kingston, initially before the OEB, then on appeal to the Divisional Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal