Ground has broken on the $1.2-billion Waasigan Transmission Line, which will bring 350 megawatts of electricity to northwestern Ontario once complete.
The project, which has been years in the planning, is a 50-50 joint partnership between Hydro One and nine First Nations in the area.
They include: Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, Eagle Lake First Nation, Fort William First Nation, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, Lac Seul First Nation, Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, Ojibway Nation of Saugeen, Seine River First Nation, and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation.
This model means that the First Nation partners have an opportunity to invest a 50 per cent stake in the transmission line part of the project.
David Lebeter, president and CEO of Hydro One, said the company was “thrilled” to hit the milestone.
“Waasigan changed the way we build new large-scale transmission line projects with the launch of our industry-leading 50-50 equity partnership model,” he said in a Nov. 22 news release.
“It’s an example of the progress we can achieve when we listen, build meaningful partnerships, work together and do things differently. We look forward to our continued collaboration as we get this critical line built.”
Construction will take place in two phases. Stage one will involve the building of a new, double-circuit 230-kilovolt transmission line from Lakehead Transformer Station in Shuniah to Mackenzie Transformer Station in Atikokan, with a targeted in-service date as close to the end of 2025 as possible.
Phase two consists of a new single-circuit 230-kilovolt transmission line from Mackenzie Transformer Station to Dryden Transformer Station in Dryden with a targeted in-service date of 2027.
Valard Construction has been contracted to do the work. An estimated 400 new jobs will be created through the project, along with a number of economic spinoffs through the region.
Daniel Morriseau, president of Gwayakocchigewin Limited Partnership, which represents eight of the First Nation partners, called the milestone a “major achievement” for the partners, which worked to ensure Anishinaabe cultural values would be respected through the process.
“Today we stand together proudly as partnering First Nations to reflect on all we have been able to achieve and give thanks to all of our community members who have contributed to the success of this project along the way, including those that are no longer with us,” he said in the release.
“We will continue to work with our partners to develop the project in a good way and look forward to seeing our communities and people benefit as the project advances.”
The start of the project comes two and a half years following the completion of the East-West Tie Transmission Line.
That project involved the construction of a $700-million, 230-kilovolt transmission line between Wawa and Thunder Bay.
It was constructed by a coalition comprising NextBridge, in partnership with NextEra Energy, Enbridge, and OMERS.
