Ontario has signed a contract to import up to 600 megawatts of electricity from the United States to help prevent potential blackouts or brownouts during periods of cold winter weather, marking a reversal in direction after Premier Doug Ford repeatedly threatened to restrict electricity exports to the U.S.

The province’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) signed the agreement as Ontario prepares for the refurbishment of the Pickering nuclear power plant. The value of the electricity contract has not been publicly disclosed.

The agreement has drawn criticism because Ontario typically sells surplus electricity to neighboring American states, including Michigan, Minnesota and New York. Jack Gibbons, chair of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, highlighted the contrast between Ford’s warnings about cutting off American power supplies and the province’s decision to arrange electricity imports.

“It’s very ironic,” Gibbons told reporters, pointing to the premier’s repeated threats to restrict exports to the United States while Ontario now prepares to purchase American electricity.

Ford’s decision to secure American power represents a retreat from his threats to use Ontario’s electricity exports as leverage against the United States. Rather than cutting off American customers, the province is now arranging to rely on U.S. electricity to help ensure its own supply remains reliable through the winter.

The IESO says the imported power will help compensate for any potential shortfalls while the Pickering nuclear facility undergoes refurbishment. The project began last month and is intended to extend the operating life of the plant’s four CANDU reactors by up to 38 years.

The refurbishment is also expected to support significant employment. The provincial government estimates the project will generate approximately 30,500 jobs annually during construction and support 7,500 jobs across Canada over the plant’s extended lifespan.

The electricity agreement provides Ontario with an additional source of power as it prepares for winter demand and work on one of its major nuclear facilities. However, the deal also highlights the province’s continued reliance on cross-border electricity trade, even as Ford’s threats to use power exports as leverage against the United States give way to a contract to import American electricity.