Manitoba Hydro faces criticism over $3B gas turbine plan

Manitoba Hydro is facing criticism from environmental groups regarding its $3-billion plan to purchase three new 250-megawatt gas-combustion turbines by 2030. Critics argue the plan should be re-evaluated following recent reliability issues at the utility’s Brandon generating station.

During ongoing Public Utilities Board hearings, Manitoba Hydro admitted that its gas turbines in Brandon experienced outages during three of the ten highest usage periods over the last five winters. Notable outages occurred in December 2022, January 2022, and January 2023, the latter of which coincided with the province’s second-highest recorded peak load.

Dave Bowen, Manitoba Hydro’s vice-president of operations, attributed these outages to staffing and maintenance issues, noting that previous decisions not to invest in the facility’s reliability contributed to the problem. The utility projects a shortfall of up to 600 megawatts in firm electricity capacity by the end of 2030. To address future needs, the company’s 10-year plan includes the new turbines, Indigenous-led wind farms, and energy-saving measures.