A major new power transmission line in Southwestern Ontario, where demand for electricity is soaring, is projected to be completed a year ahead of schedule next year, Ontario’s provincial power distributor says.
A major new power transmission line in Southwestern Ontario, where demand for electricity is soaring, is projected to be completed a year ahead of schedule next year, Ontario’s provincial power distributor says.
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Hydro One said Friday it’s on track to complete the high-voltage line from Chatham-Kent to Lakeshore, in Essex County, by the end of 2024, saving $15 million in construction costs and adding 400 megawatts of power to the that region, enough to supply a city the size of Windsor and help meet growing industrial needs. Construction of the line began this spring.
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Demand for more 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.
Between them, the two plants will cost billions to construct and add thousands of jobs to the region’s auto industry. The Windsor battery plant is projected to be fully operational in 2025. The St. Thomas plant is expected to open in 2027.
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Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator estimates demand for power in the region will quadruple over the next decade, compared to a few years ago, leaving Hydro One with a mandate to build up to five new transmission lines.
A Hydro One executive credited collaborative work to bring the power route online earlier than scheduled, with the company noting it secured voluntary land-rights agreements with property owners along the 49-kilometer route and that five area Fist Nations will have a chance to invest in a half-ownership stake in the transmission line component of the upgrade.
“We’re grateful for the collaboration with so many in the planning, development and construction of this line,” said Andrew Spencer, a Hydro One vice-president.
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“Working together with Indigenous communities, municipalities, local community members and organizations, landowners and farmers, and our construction teams, has supported very efficient delivery,” he said.
The new line is one of a series of planned electricity upgrades in Southwestern Ontario.
The cost of the transmission line, from a switching station in Chatham-Kent to a new transformer station in Lakeshore, is expected to come in at about $253 million.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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