RC116 JanFeb 2025 - Magazine - Page 19
DAVID HOWELLS/FORTIS INC.
“One of the things we hope to have accomplished with this transmission system is ensuring our
people have safe drinking water, homes powered by a reliable energy source and the ability to
improve infrastructure to further develop their communities for future generations to enjoy.”
that is lighting the way forward in Northern Ontario. These communities are considered remote because most do not have all-season road
access and/or they were not connected to the Independent Electricity
System Operator-controlled grid. Some of the most remote of these
communities like Sandy Lake First Nation and Big Trout Lake First
Nation—both 600 km north of Thunder Bay near the Manitoba border—have no all-season roads. Access by air to these First Nations settlements is the only way in most of the year or by an ice road during
RENEWCANADA.NET
the short winter season, so just delivering and transporting the fuel oil
that powered the generators was a challenge; accidental spills could
occur causing environmental damage. The Wataynikaneyap Power
Project is expected to result in over 6.6 million tonnes of avoided GHG
emissions over 40 years by replacing approximately 25 million litres/
year of diesel usage with electricity.
Daily outages were also a common occurrence. Combine these failings with not having su昀케cient power, due to load growth restrictions,
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 – RENEW CANADA 19
