Manitoba Hydro faced criticism over its proposal to expand the gas-burning generating station in Brandon after revealing operational challenges during extreme winter weather conditions. The Crown corporation intends to invest $3 billion in adding three new natural gas turbines to the current pair in Brandon, with a goal to boost the province’s power capacity by 750 megawatts by 2030 to mitigate potential midwinter power shortages.
As part of its broader plan to make 1,760 megawatts of electricity, more than a quarter of its current capacity, available in the next decade, Manitoba Hydro is under scrutiny by the Public Utilities Board. During a recent hearing, Cheryl Sanclemente, Hydro’s energy markets director, disclosed the need to reduce the maximum power output at the Brandon fuel-burning station during severe winter conditions in multiple instances over the past years.
The reduced power output during peak usage periods on specific dates was confirmed by Sanclemente in response to questioning from Kent Elson, representing the Manitoba Eco-Network. This acknowledgment was deemed significant by James Wilt of the Manitoba Climate Action Team, who criticized Hydro’s reliance on natural gas turbines over renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy.
Hydro’s 10-year plan includes the addition of five megawatts of battery storage by 2034, the development of new wind farms capable of generating 600 megawatts by 2035, and energy efficiency measures totaling 860 megawatts. Despite defending the reliability of gas-fired power, Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura pointed out that equipment failures can occur intermittently, especially with the aging Brandon gas turbines.
During the Public Utilities Board hearing, Hydro vice-president Dave Bowen emphasized the challenges faced by the Brandon station due to historical underinvestment in critical infrastructure. The hearings on Hydro’s energy plan are ongoing and scheduled to continue until early September.
