Plan balances best available options
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The Brandon Sun misses the mark in its Aug. 12, 2026, editorial “No easy fix for power problems.”
The claim that “Manitoba Hydro has not been entirely forthright in its portrayal of gas power” in the utility’s presentation to the Public Utilities Board is not accurate.
Manitoba Hydro’s proposed plan for three new gas turbines as part of our Integrated Resource Plan is the result of two years of analysis and computer modelling. The turbines would provide 750 megawatts of on-demand electrical capacity and are the best resource available on the timeline needed to meet a potential peak load shortfall.
The Manitoba Hydro Brandon Generating Station off Victoria Avenue East. The provincial government is proposing a $3-billion combustion turbine facility at the site to meet the increasing demand for power. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)
But you don’t have to take Manitoba Hydro’s word for it.
Daymark Energy Advisors, the PUB’s independent expert consultant, reviewed the plan and testified in the public hearings now underway that “there are strong indications that the economics of the [combustion turbines] are reasonable.”
Daymark also stated that there’s “credible evidence that this capacity is needed” and that it would help Manitoba Hydro continue delivering safe and reliable electricity amid the uncertainties in the years ahead.
Everything we are proposing is publicly available online and is currently the focus of weeks of public hearings. That’s transparency.
That Manitoba Hydro’s existing gas turbines — more than 20 years old — have on a small number of occasions been unavailable due to maintenance issues is no basis for suggesting three brand new units would be inherently unreliable.
The editorial asks why it has taken so long for Manitoba Hydro’s “brain trust” to arrive at what it calls an “imperfect solution.”
Manitoba Hydro identified in its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan and energy road map that the province would need additional capacity to meet peak demand by 2029-30. What followed was two years of extensive analysis, leading to the 2025 IRP and the proposed energy plan now before the PUB.
We are proud of our employees and the timely, expert work they have done on behalf of Manitobans. There is no perfect solution. But our plan balances the best available options to ensure reliable, affordable energy for Manitobans in the years ahead.
PETER CHURA
Manitoba Hydro