Manitoba Hydro is moving forward with building two transmission lines that will strengthen the reliability of southern Manitoba’s electricity supply after receiving an Environment Act Licence from the Province of Manitoba on January 30.
The St. Vital Transmission Complex includes a new 118-kilometre transmission line from St. Vital Station in southeast Winnipeg south to Letellier Station, just outside of Letellier, and a 35-kilometre transmission line from St. Vital Station to the La Verendrye Station southwest of Winnipeg near Oak Bluff.
“Many of Manitoba Hydro’s transmission lines and stations were built 40 or 50 years ago when the communities they serve were much smaller,” said Kelvin Shepherd, Manitoba Hydro’s President and CEO. “Since then we’ve seen populations grow and businesses develop or expand, especially in areas like Morden, Winkler and Steinbach.”
“The upgrade of our transmission network in southern Manitoba is needed to ensure we continue delivering electricity to our customers and supporting growth and economic prosperity in the area.”
The 230,000-volt St. Vital-Letellier transmission line will in time allow displacement of an existing 115,000-volt system that is out of capacity. The new line will strengthen the electricity supply to south central Manitoba and also serve customers in south eastern Manitoba through a proposed station in the area.
The 230,000-volt St. Vital-La Verendrye transmission line will address significant load growth and enhance the reliability of the electricity supply for Winnipeg-area customers. The new line is the final segment in a 230,000-volt transmission ring around the city that will help reduce the potential for outages and blackouts.
The route selection and environmental assessment processes for the St. Vital Transmission Complex included two rounds of engagement that sought input from local municipalities, Indigenous communities, stakeholders and local community members.
With the Environment Act Licence in place, Manitoba Hydro is taking steps to complete design work, source materials needed for the project and resume discussions with landowners.
Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2018 with completion in 2020. The estimated cost of the two projects, as included in the corporation’s previous financial forecasts, is $92 million.
More information on the project, including maps of the final preferred routes and the Environmental Assessment Report, are available at www.hydro.mb.ca/stvital.
