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Chief sees dam as turning point

Opens new era for reserve, Hydro

By: Bruce Owen

Posted: 07/6/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

NCN Chief Jerry Primrose (left), Premier Greg Selinger take a look Thursday at the working turbine at the Wuskwatim generating station. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

WUSKWATIM -- "Please do me justice," Jerry Primrose says in the cavernous Wuskwatim generating station. "I want people to know our story."

Primrose is the chief of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) near Thompson, and without him, the newest of Manitoba Hydro's dams would not have been built.

For almost a decade, Primrose worked with NCN members and Manitoba Hydro to put past wrongs behind them, such as massive flooding caused by Hydro's Churchill River diversion project in the 1970s, and instead use hydroelectric development to the advantage of aboriginal people.

"Our story is about the hope and perseverance of our people and how we overcame anger, distrust and hatred toward Manitoba Hydro in order to build the Wuskwatim project," he says.

Primrose, first elected chief in 1994 of the 5,000-member NCN, was front and centre with Premier Greg Selinger during a tour Thursday of the dam site, located on the Burntwood River southwest of Thompson. Work started on the project six years ago.

Wuskwatim is the first Manitoba Hydro dam completed since the Limestone generating station in 1992.

"Yes, it's a very major technical achievement to build a dam," Selinger says. "Even more important is the political and community-based relationships that made it happen. It's a new way of doing business in northern Manitoba."

Wuskwatim's size was scaled back to reduce flooding on nearby Wuskwatim Lake.

The original plan called for it to produce 300 megawatts of electricity when fully operational. Instead, it will produce only 200 MW and flood less than a half-square-kilometre of land.

When the $1.6-billion Wuskwatim's three giant turbines are all working-- only one is spinning now -- Primrose's community will own up to one-third of the plant and be involved in its day-to-day operations.

Profits from Wuskwatim's power sales will go to NCN to pay for whatever band members decide is a priority, including housing and education.

"We live on a reserve," Primrose says above the steady hum of the generating station. "It's not like we can just go to work each day like you. We need something else."

Before the next two turbines come online this fall, Hydro's explosives experts have to blow up a rock wall that's holding back water on Wuskwatim Lake. Once opened up, even more water will be sent towards the dam and its turbines.

All power generated by the turbines goes immediately to Manitoba consumers, first in northern Manitoba and then everyone else on the provincial grid. Surplus power is sold to customers in other provinces and U.S. states -- about 10 per cent of electricity Minnesota uses comes from Manitoba.

Manitoba Hydro and the Selinger government want to sell even more power to the United States, which is where the larger Keeyask and proposed Conawapa dams on the lower Nelson River come in.

However, Hydro has recently scaled back its revenue projections from export sales. In documents filed with the Public Utilities Board, it says it expects a $1-billion drop in export revenues over the next decade compared to Hydro's last forecast and a $4-billion drop over the next 20 years compared to earlier estimates.

The PUB and critics say this should put the brakes on Hydro's dam-building plans, and that there should be a second look at what alternatives are available.

Dave Chomiak, Manitoba's energy minister, said Thursday there will be such a review, not only for Keeyask and Conawapa, but the Bipole III transmission line as well.

"We just haven't announced it yet," Chomiak said.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 6, 2012 A4

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