More public input sought on St. Clair transmission line project

The proposed St. Clair transmission line project to bring another 450 megawatts of power online has reached another milestone for public review and comment.

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Hydro One has released the draft environmental study report and encourages interested parties to submit feedback on the report until Dec. 7.

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As this point, the utility is not running into any big surprises with the proposed 60-kilometer new transmission line that will run between the Lambton transfer station near Courtright to the Chatham switching station, with an estimated cost of $300 million to $400 million.

“What we find is that by engaging with the public and getting the feedback that we have, this is fairly standard 230Kv transmission line,” said Sonny Karunakaran, Hydro One vice-president of strategic projects and partnerships.

He said being able to repurpose and reutilize existing transmission corridors for 80 per cent of the project “mitigates effects even further.”

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But, there has been no shortcuts taken to develop the draft environmental study report.

“Although we’re repurposing an existing corridor, it’s important that we have things that back up the data for today’s standards and requirements,” Karunakaran said.

He said Hydro One needs to get the new transmission line between its Chatham and Lambton facilities “in a manner that’s going to keep in mind the Indigenous values, the local landowners and the natural environment” while keeping the ratepayers’ considerations in mind as well.

“Overall the route that we have found a good balance across that.”

Karunakaran said the initial outreach with landowners has been positive with an uptake of about 60 per cent of early access agreements along the route.

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The feedback being sought through the draft report will help Hydro One finalize both the environmental assessment and design of the project, he said.

Planners have a good idea where the estimated 200 towers for the project will go, but Karunakaran said there is some “flexibility” with where towers can be adjusted on a specific property.

“Getting that sort of feedback allows us to accommodate for things like that in our design.”

Forbes Bros Inc. has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the St. Clair transmission line.

Karunakaran said Forbes has been participating in the engagements with rights holders and stakeholders and supporting Hydro One as it completes the remaining development and regulatory activities at this stage of the project.

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Demand for power has grown in Southwestern Ontario from population and economic growth. New manufacturing projects, especially two massive electric vehicle battery plants being built by auto giants Stellantis in Windsor and Volkswagen in St. Thomas, will add to that demand.

Hydro One recently announced its Chatham to Lakeshore line, which will generate 400 megawatts of power, will be completed a year early in 2024 with savings of $15 million in construction costs.

“It’s too early to talk about advancing schedules to be honest,” Karunakaran said

But he added, “We’re very happy with the progress that we’ve made to date.”

Given the process and the findings to date, he said, “We’ve got a high degree of finishing the project by the end of 2028.”

As for the draft environmental study report, Hydro One has published the report online at www.hydroone.com/stclair. Electronic and hard copies are also available at the Corunna Library, 417 Lyndoch St., the Chatham-Kent Public Library, 120 Queen St., and the Wallaceburg Municipal Office, 786 Dufferin Ave.

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