‘Power sovereignty’: combustion turbine facility proposed for Brandon by 2030

A $3-billion combustion turbine facility is proposed for Westman as Manitoba Hydro projects power shortages in the coming years.

The provincial government announced the proposal during its throne speech Tuesday.

“We’re Trump-proofing our economy by having power sovereignty,” Premier Wab Kinew said. “(It’s so) we’re no longer as reliant on bringing in electricity during the coldest days of our winter.”

The project would install additional combustion turbines at the Brandon Generating Station and be in place by 2030 at the latest.

The facility drew praise from Manitoba business leaders. However, much of the throne speech was lacking, they said.

Manitoba Hydro proposed a roughly $1.4-billion combustion turbine facility earlier this year. It sent a submission to the Public Utilities Board, asking for a preliminary estimate review.

Hydro expects a “sustained winter peak capacity deficit” by 2029-30, it wrote in its filing. It envisioned a new plant with two 250-megawatt simple-cycle combustion turbines near an existing Hydro generating station in Brandon.

The build announced Tuesday will have three dual-fuel combustion turbines generating a combined 750 megawatts of power — one more turbine than originally proposed.

“Just making sure that as our economy grows, we’re going to have the capacity to meet the needs of Manitobans and future business people,” Kinew said.

Natural gas will be burned and the goal is to eventually shift to an energy source such as renewable methane or hydrogen, Kinew said. The power mix will include 600 megawatts of wind; the plant would only fire when needed, not year-round.

“We’re on a path to net zero, so the environmental piece is something that we’re going to look at throughout,” Kinew said about the facility’s environmental impact.

“What can we do in terms of offsetting that firing period to make sure that we’re doing right by climate change and fighting against global warming? That’s part of the plan.”

Kinew didn’t give a timeline for new construction but said the announcement likely wouldn’t be the “last word” on new power generation in Manitoba.

“We definitely need more energy,” said Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. “The more we can generate, the more we can meet not only just current demand and projected demand, but fuel economic development.”

The Manitoba government promised to establish artificial intelligence infrastructure in its throne speech. It echoes the province’s first innovation report, released in October.

Artificial intelligence and data require a lot of energy, Remillard noted. (A 2024 Goldman Sachs article said the average ChatGPT query requires nearly 10 times the electricity of a Google search.)

Tuesday lacked excitement for businesses, Remillard said: “If action is the currency of government, our economy got short-changed with the throne speech.”

It comes as Canada faces trade tensions with China and the United States. Given the economic moment, details on how government will support entrepreneurs should’ve been shared, Remillard said.

Workforce development initiatives and ways to further the province’s economic development strategy, released in September, were also missing from the throne speech, said the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president.

“What we’re looking for on a (strategy) like that is ‘How are you going to drive (the) initiative?’” Chuck Davidson said. “It’s great to have a strategy, but what will the action items look like?”

He applauded recognition of the Port of Churchill in the throne speech. Members of a new Crown corporation — Canada’s first Crown-Indigenous corporation — will work with Ottawa’s Major Projects Office and Arctic Gateway Group on the port’s development.

Politicians have touted the deep sea port as a route to markets like Europe.

Half the Crown-Indigenous board will be comprised of Indigenous governments. Future projects — in mining, energy and manufacturing, for example — could involve the Crown corporation, Kinew said.

“The idea is to create a vehicle where we can just have everyone at the table to pursue economic opportunity together.”

“The idea is to create a vehicle where we can just have everyone at the table to pursue economic opportunity together,” he said, adding Crown corporation membership will be announced at a later date.

Chris Avery, chief executive officer of Arctic Gateway Group, called the new Crown corporation a great addition: “It’s very much in the spirit of Arctic Gateway.”

Forty-one Indigenous and northern communities make up Arctic Gateway Group, the port’s owner.

Environmental assessments must be included as the province moves forward on infrastructure projects like the Port of Churchill, said Jack Winram, president of the Manitoba Environmental Industries Association.

The province also plans to study grocery price inflation. The finance department and other government branches will lead an investigation, Kinew said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com