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![\"MANITOBA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4414036_web1_19259375_20120814WU071.JPG\")
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MANITOBA HYDRO PHOTO<\/p>\n
The Wuskwatim Generating Station is located on the Burntwood River approximately 45 kilometres southwest of Thompson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are confident in our analysis and that we\u2019ve appropriately balanced reliability, affordability, safety and risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The PUB will later provide recommendations to the government on the proposed combustion turbines, which are expected to cost $3 billion, and an overarching 10-year integrated resource plan.<\/p>\n
Seven parties were granted intervener status. Some, including the Consumers Coalition, will challenge Hydro\u2019s analysis and justification for the turbines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndependent expert evidence suggests Manitoba Hydro\u2019s plan falls short of best practice IRP (integrated resource plan) and may lead to building too much too soon,\u201d Katrine Dilay, an attorney with the Public Interest Law Centre, which represents the Consumers Coalition, said in a statement, citing some of the findings of consultants retained by the coalition and the PUB.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means Manitoba Hydro\u2019s proposed play may not be the most appropriate and least-cost option to meet Manitoba\u2019s future energy needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coalition acts to protect the interests of residential customers.<\/p>\n
Hydro has projected a shortfall in firm electricity capacity, potentially reaching 600 megawatts, by the end of 2030. The long-term plan aims to add about 1,760 megawatts with the goal of a net-zero grid by 2035.<\/p>\n
The corporation wants to build three turbines at a plant in Brandon to produce 750 megawatts of power by 2030, alongside plans for Indigenous-led wind farms that will generate 600 megawatts by 2035.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndependent expert evidence suggests Manitoba Hydro\u2019s plan falls short of best practice IRP (integrated resource plan) and may lead to building too much too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cManitoba needs new sources of electricity by 2030 to meet peak winter demand, and combustion turbines are the most reliable and cost-effective way to ensure we meet that demand,\u201d Chura said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis backup capability is also essential for supporting Indigenous majority\u2011owned wind projects and navigating drought years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hydro\u2019s plan said the combustion turbines will run on low-carbon fuels when they become readily available, with remaining emissions offset by carbon credits.<\/p>\n
The plan includes utility scale battery storage for up to five megawatts by 2034, and enhanced hydro generation to a minimum of 25 megawatts of capacity by 2029.<\/p>\n
Energy-saving measures aim to reduce Manitobans\u2019 usage by 860 megawatts by 2035.<\/p>\n
Non-profit, volunteer-led Sustainable Brandon, another intervener, plans to propose \u201cpractical\u201d renewable energy alternatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Brandonites, we will be the most affected by any emissions and related health risks from a new gas plant in Brandon,\u201d the organization wrote to the PUB. \u201cAnd, as customers and taxpayers, we will be required to join other Manitobans in paying for this new infrastructure \u2026 that, according to Manitoba Hydro, will sit idle most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cManitoba needs new sources of electricity by 2030 to meet peak winter demand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan calls for the turbines to be used up to five per cent per year. Chura said it is possible the turbines will operate more than that, depending on events such as drought.<\/p>\n
Wa Ni Ska Tan, an alliance of Indigenous communities that has been granted intervener status, said in its application to the PUB it will explain how Indigenous rights holders will face added risks from \u201coversights\u201d in Hydro\u2019s public engagement process.<\/p>\n
The Climate Action Team, which is not an intervener, supports wind power and battery storage proposals, but disagrees with Hydro\u2019s analysis and justification for the turbines, said policy manager James Wilt.<\/p>\n
The turbines would bring high greenhouse gas emissions and be a \u201cmassively expensive asset\u201d that sits idle for most of the year, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest question mark for us is if the PUB does issue strong recommendations for Hydro to redo this process or much of the process, whether the government will agree to those recommendations or not,\u201d Wilt said.<\/p>\n
The turbine proposal is based on the outcomes of more than two years of detailed work and comprehensive analysis, Chura said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to Manitoba Hydro experts that understand our system, recognized third-party experts also reviewed and tested the analysis, and concluded it was consistent with industry best practice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Chura said public engagement was \u201ccomprehensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is whether Manitoba Hydro is investing in the right projects and the most cost-effective way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finance Minister Adrien Sala, the minister responsible for Hydro, thinks the Crown corporation presented a strong plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut of course (the) public review is about testing that plan, looking at the assumptions, examining alternatives and ensuring the plan will create reliable, affordable energy for Manitobans for years to come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The proposed turbines were announced in November\u2019s throne speech.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe know we need reliable backstop energy during periods of peak demand. Those cycle turbines will ensure we do have access to that energy when we need it, and it will help to ensure that that energy is affordable as well,\u201d Sala said.<\/p>\n
Lauren Stone, the Tory party critic for Hydro, said the integrated resource plan should be guided by engineering, economics and reliability, not political direction or interference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is whether Manitoba Hydro is investing in the right projects and the most cost-effective way possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven Hydro\u2019s financial position \u2014 $25 to $26 billion in debt \u2014 and placing the further financial burden of 12 per cent of rate increases on Manitobans, every dollar matters. We\u2019ll be looking very closely at whether the corporation has thoroughly evaluated all available options, including opportunities to partner with the private sector where it makes financial and operational sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Chris Kitching Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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