February 21, 2017 – Manitoba Hydro says it is moving forward with building two transmission lines after receiving an Environment Act Licence from the province on January 30.

The St. Vital Transmission Complex includes a new 118-km transmission line from St. Vital Station in southeast Winnipeg south to Letellier Station, just outside of Letellier, and a 35-km 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.”

In time, the 230kV St. Vital-Letellier transmission line will allow for displacement of an existing 115kV system that is out of capacity, the utility said. The line will strengthen the electricity supply to south central Manitoba and also serve customers in southeastern Manitoba through a proposed station in the area, it added.

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.