Toronto: On January 31 Greg Rickford, the Ontario Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, announced that the provincial government had designated NextBridge as the transmitter to build a 450-kilometer, double-circuit transmission line from Thunder Bay to Wawa, known as the East-West Tie Line Project.
“Maintaining reliability and cost efficiency is a top priority for our government. The East-West Tie Line has long been identified as a priority project to provide a consistent supply of electricity that supports economic growth, job creation, and resource development in northwestern Ontario,” the Minister said. “Unfortunately, the Ontario Energy Board’s review process has taken longer than expected, putting the timely construction of this necessary project at risk and potentially increasing costs for electricity customers.”
He noted that “NextBridge has finished the preliminary work necessary to complete the project, it has the support of local communities and First Nation and Métis partners, and the project sets in motion opportunities to create local employment for over 200 Indigenous people. Moving forward with the East-West Tie Line will support economic growth in northwestern Ontario, it is another signal that Ontario is Open for Business, and it connects northwestern communities and Indigenous people with immediate and future opportunities for good, local jobs.”
NextBridge Infrastructure released a statement saying, “The timely resolution of this process is good news for families and businesses in Northern Ontario as the project can now move forward to ensure the availability of electricity in the region that will support a new era of economic growth.”
Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins added, “As President of Bamkushwada, I welcome the government’s decision to confirm that NextBridge will construct the East-West Tie Project. This is more than an electricity transmission project. It’s an economic partnership between industry and our First Nation communities that builds capacity and provides employment opportunities for over 300 Indigenous people.”
Jennifer Tidmarsh, Project Director for NextBridge said, “We have worked in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities and right-of-way landowners for the past five years to develop this important project that will deliver economic benefits for generations to come.” NextBridge notes that it has trained members of Indigenous communities for over 300 project jobs that are expected to enrich the lives of these young people well into the future.
Minister Rickford concluded, “I look forward to continuing to work with NextBridge, the Ontario Energy Board, and local communities and Indigenous partners to ensure this necessary project is completed in a timely manner.”
On December 20 the Ontario Energy Board had announced a time extension to its decision regarding the Leave to Construct for the new line, to allow for an additional review process. The order from the OEB also granted Hydro One leave to upgrade Wawa, Marathon and Lakehead transmission stations, subject to granting the leave to construct for the transmission line. Ultimately the Hydro One bid was not accepted of course.
The Lake Superior Link will be a new 400 km transmission line between Hydro One’s Lakehead Transformer Station in the Municipality of Shuniah east of Thunder Bay and its Wawa Transformer Station near Wawa.