Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, along with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, recently announced a joint investment of $475.6 million to strengthen Manitoba’s clean electricity grid and ensure Manitobans continue receiving affordable and reliable low carbon energy.
“Manitoba Hydro is extremely pleased to be receiving this federal funding through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program,” said Jay Grewal, president and CEO, Manitoba Hydro. “The investments we are making in both these critical infrastructure projects will help provide Manitobans with energy for life and power our province’s economic growth with clean, reliable, renewable hydroelectricity. These projects build on our legacy of investments in renewable energy over the past 100 years, as we work towards a lower carbon future for all Manitobans.”
This federal-provincial investment provides $314 million for eight new hydroelectric turbines at the Pointe du Bois Generating Station, as well as $161.6 million to build a new 230-kilovolt transmission network in the Portage la Prairie area.
The $314 million joint investment in the Pointe du Bois Renewable Energy Project will enable Manitoba Hydro to replace eight hydroelectric generating units that are at the end of their current lifecycle. The new, more efficient generating units will increase the capacity of the Pointe du Bois generating station by 52 megawatts, providing eastern Manitoba with cleaner and more reliable clean electricity.
The $161.6 million joint investment in the Portage Area Capacity Enhancement project will support the construction of a new transmission line to enhance reliability for customers across southwest Manitoba and help Manitoba Hydro meet increasing demand. By decreasing Manitoba’s reliance on its last grid-connected fossil-fuel generating station, this investment will reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Brandon Generating Station by about 37 per cent.
These investments in clean electricity will ensure Manitobans continue to benefit from the second-most affordable electricity in Canada, while also reducing emissions and increasing reliability and capacity to meet growing demand. The federal government will continue to invest in making Canada a clean electricity superpower to ensure Canadians from coast to coast to coast have the affordable and reliable clean electricity they need today and for generations to come.
