Bipole III Hearings: Update June 2012

Clean Environment Commission (CEC) proceedings for the Bipole III transmission system stared in May 2012.

If built, the proposed Bipole III project would add a third 1384 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line to the Manitoba Hydro system. Bipole I & II are also direct current lines, built in the 1960s between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba.

Manitoba Hydro submitted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) December 2, 2011. The announcement of CEC public hearings was made immediately after, with the terms of reference dated December 5, 2011.

The first CEC pre-hearing conference of the participants was held May 10, 2012, and a second pre-hearing conference is scheduled for July 19, 2012. Pre-hearing conferences are to deal with procedural aspects of the hearings.

The Clean Environment Commission has sent up to 600 information requests (questions) to Manitoba Hydro about ecological and social effects from the transmission project. The utility answers these in written form, as part of the review conducted by the CEC. There are also two additional sets of EIS materials to be filed about the project.

Members of the public or interested organizations can register as hearing participants, or to make a presentation to the hearings through the Clean Environment Commission website. Presenters are typically given 15 minutes to make a presentation during the hearing.

Participants take be active in the proceedings, they can pose questions to the proponent, cross examine presenters, file evidence, interview and call witnesses and present opening and closing statement at the hearings.

Six weeks of hearings are tentatively scheduled for October-November 2012 in the following locations: Winnipeg, Gillam, Thompson, The Pas, Dauphin, and Niverville.

A third pre-hearing meeting of participants is expected in early September.

Return to Bipole III Proceedings and Hearings Listing