More power needed for growing northwestern Ontario mining sector: task force

More power is needed in northwestern Ontario if the region is to meet the demands brought on by what a task force calls "unprecedented growth" in its mining sector.

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association's (NOMA) Northwest Energy Task Force said there are currently 41 major exploration projects in the region, with 37 of those aiming to be operational by 2033.

"We wanted to identify the results of our research, which indicates that we have two areas that need new transmission facilities, and that the entire area needs additional generation, if we're to meet the demand created by a multitude of new mines that are working their way through to operation," said Iain Angus, co-chair of the task force. "We're gonna need about 250 megawatts of additional generation."

The research was revealed at a news release on Thursday morning. There, the task force showed the results of an area-by-area analysis of power needs in northwestern Ontario.

The analysis shows the area north of Nipigon, which includes mines in the Greenstone, Beardmore and the Lake Nipigon areas, and the Ring of Fire, will require another 175 megawatts to power them all.

The North Shore of Lake Superior will need a further 57 megawatts, and the Ear Falls/Red Lake area another 123 megawatts in generation.

The Thunder Bay area, meanwhile, will require another 120 megawatts of power.

There are various options to meet those requirements, Angus said. The Atikokan Generating Station and Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper mill, which both provide power through biomass, can scale up, for instance.

"That's the easy one," Angus said. "As long as they get a 10-year (power purchase agreement with the Ontario Energy Board) they'll do the investment that they need."

"There are other opportunities throughout the region," he said. "We're only using part of our forest, but the part that we're using in terms of logging, between 30 and 40 per cent of what's cut can be used for biomass."

"So it makes sense to develop a number of new biomass generation facilities throughout the region and create jobs, boost the economy of the smaller communities and make life a lot easier for a lot of people."

Another advantage of biomass, Angus said, is it takes about two-and-a-half years to construct a facility, whereas "transmission, on the other hand, takes about seven years when you go through all the regulatory process and route selection, environmental assessment, things like that."

"So if you don't start now, you're not going to meet the deadline."

In addition to new biomass facilities, the task force is recommending:

• doubling the size of the second state of the Wassigan transmission line, and extending it to Red Lake;
• doubling the size of the Watay Power Line from Dinorwic to Pickle Lake, and expanding the section of the line that runs from Red Lake to the Frontier Lithium Mine;
• routing the first phase of the bulk transmission line running to the Ring of Fire through Geraldton, and
• upgrading the transmission system west of Thunder Bay to not only power under-development mines, but also stabilize the existing distribution system.

The entire analysis can be viewed on the NOMA website.

"We did a study a number of years ago that said when a mine is halfway through its feasibility study, you have to start building this transmission line," Angus said. "But you can't, because you don't have the proof that you're going to go ahead. So it's a chicken and egg kind of thing."

"We feel strongly that if we invest in the transmission lines now, they will be there for the mines when they're ready and that'll be an incentive for the mines to actually happen," he said. "Without the transmission lines, the mining comes just say, well, 'why? Why should I invest there if they're not prepared to provide power?'"