Today, the Minister of Energy and Electrification directed the Ontario Energy Board to amend Hydro One Networks Inc.’s (Hydro One) transmission licence to develop and construct a new priority transmission line project in northeast\u00a0Ontario. The proposed project is intended to support the rapid increase in electricity demand expected in northern\u00a0Ontario\u00a0to accommodate electrification of communities, businesses and industry, population growth and economic development activities including advanced manufacturing and mining for critical minerals.<\/p>\n
“Electricity is the backbone of our economy and Hydro One provides the power needed to support daily life and attract new growth and investment in communities across the province,” said\u00a0David Lebeter, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hydro One. “This designation acknowledges how Hydro One has prioritized Indigenous partnerships and reconciliation. We thank the government for their support and will continue to work in collaboration with partners to develop and build this critical line.”<\/p>\n
Hydro One was selected as the transmitter responsible for the development of the line after extensive evaluation of its proposal and consultations with Indigenous communities, stakeholders and the public. Hydro One will continue to work with all proximate First Nations who have the opportunity to invest in a 50 per cent equity stake in the transmission line component of the project through Hydro One’s 50-50 equity partnership model.<\/p>\n
“As we move forward with the designation of Hydro One and partners to build the transmission line between\u00a0Wawa\u00a0and\u00a0Timmins, it’s not just about infrastructure \u2013 it’s about strengthening our communities, connecting people, and ensuring a sustainable, reliable future for the north,” said Chief Gauthier, Missanabie Cree First Nation. “This project will power progress and create lasting opportunities for all our people.”<\/p>\n
“On behalf of the Chiefs of the Wabun Tribal Council we are so pleased with\u00a0Ontario’s\u00a0decision to award the transmission line project between\u00a0Wawa\u00a0and\u00a0Timmins\u00a0to our partnership with Hydro One,” said the Wabun Chiefs and Wabun Tribal Council. “This project not only provides value to our communities as owners of infrastructure but increases the transmission capacity in the grid system that is desperately needed. We look forward to working with the ministry and other stakeholders as we plan and build the line over the coming years.”<\/p>\n
The Wabun Chiefs and Wabun Tribal Council are: Chief\u00a0Cheryl St. Denis, Brunswick House First Nation, Chief\u00a0Anita Stephens, Chapleau Ojibway First Nation, Chief\u00a0Murray Ray, Flying Post First Nation, Chief\u00a0Alex Batisse, Matachewan First Nation, Chief\u00a0Jennifer Constant, Mattagami First Nation and\u00a0Jason Batise, Executive Director, Wabun Tribal Council.<\/p>\n
The proposed project is a new, 260-kilometre, 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line, initially energized at 230 kV between Wawa Transformer Station (TS) in\u00a0Wawa, and Porcupine TS in\u00a0Timmins. It is expected to be in service by the end of 2030.<\/p>\n
The designation of this priority project supports the Independent Electricity System Operator’s projection that demand for electricity will increase approximately 75 per cent across\u00a0Ontario\u00a0by 2050. Once built, the proposed priority transmission line will enhance\u00a0Ontario’s\u00a0clean energy advantage and continue to position the province as an attractive place to live and invest.<\/p>\n
“Our government is supporting the incredible growth in\u00a0Timmins\u00a0and across\u00a0Northeastern Ontario\u00a0by accelerating the development of a new transmission line that will power new homes, businesses and mines,” said\u00a0Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Electrification. “Our focus on ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy is key to ensuring business across the north remain competitive, especially as demand for\u00a0Ontario’s\u00a0responsibly sourced metals and critical minerals grows.”<\/p>\n
“Advancing the new transmission line is a critical step in powering the future of\u00a0Timmins\u00a0and the mining sector in\u00a0Northeastern Ontario,” said\u00a0George Pirie, Minister of Mines and Member of Provincial Parliament for\u00a0Timmins. “As\u00a0Timmins\u00a0continues to thrive as a key hub for mining and economic activity, ensuring greater access to clean and reliable energy is vital to meet the region’s increasing energy needs that will power the mines of tomorrow, which benefits all of\u00a0Ontario.”<\/p>\n
“By partnering with First Nations communities on critical energy infrastructure projects like the\u00a0Wawa\u00a0to\u00a0Porcupine\u00a0transmission line, we are not only strengthening\u00a0Ontario’s\u00a0economy for now and future generations, but also advancing meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous communities,” said\u00a0Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. “Today’s announcement marks a step toward sustainable growth that benefits every community, ensuring we are Building Ontario the right way \u2013 together.”<\/p>\n
“The new transmission line that Hydro One will develop in partnership with First Nations will support our continued efforts to encourage people, businesses and industry to choose\u00a0Timmins,” said\u00a0Michelle Boileau, Mayor of\u00a0Timmins. “This critical infrastructure will not only support large-scale development, but help meet the increased energy demands on our municipal systems as both the workforce and population grow. The transmission line is a key asset that will help unlock the economic potential in our city and provide reliable and sustainable power for current and future residents.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, the Minister of Energy and Electrification directed the Ontario Energy Board to amend Hydro One Networks Inc.’s (Hydro One) transmission licence to develop and construct a new priority transmission line project in northeast\u00a0Ontario. The proposed project is intended to support the rapid increase in electricity demand expected in northern\u00a0Ontario\u00a0to accommodate electrification of communities, businesses …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-community"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-22 02:23:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70949"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70950,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70949\/revisions\/70950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}