TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he intends to keep a campaign promise to lower hydro rates by 12 per cent.

Ford says an expert group is currently working on solutions to bring down hydro rates, a key promise he made during the 2018 election.

The premier says details of the government's new plan will be announced in the coming weeks.

The government had budgeted $4 billion for the 2019-2020 fiscal year to keep hydro prices stable.

But in January, the province's finance minister said the government had spent an additional $1.6 billion to achieve that goal.

Ford blamed the previous Liberal government's policies for driving up the cost of electricity in Ontario.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2020.