| Bipole III to be Routed Through Manitoba's West Side | 28 September 07 |
 Manitoba Hydro announced September 25, 2007 it will move forward with plans to build a new high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line, known as BiPole III, on the west side of the Province.Originally Hydro planned to bring the line down the boreal forest regions east of Lake Winnipeg. In 2005 the Manitoba government axed that plan and committed to preserving the ecological integrity of boreal forests on the east side - to assist in pursuit of World Heritage Site status for the area. Manitoba Hydro President and CEO Bob Brennan said the new line will serve as backup for existing lines, which are vulnerable to storms and extreme weather. Brennan said the switch to the west will add up to $400 million to the cost of the transmission line, bringing the total to $1.1 billion. When converter equipment is added, the total cost is $2.2 billion. The western route is 50 per cent longer and resistance on the longer line will cause more electricity to be lost. Environmentalists have applauded the decision, saying that maintaining untouched boreal forest regions is worth the cost. "If you count and value all the ecological services Manitobans and Canadians receive from the intact waterways and rivers and forest lands on the east side - absolutely we'll get $500 million back in ecological services in a short time," said Gaile Whelan Enns of Manitoba Wildlands. The transmission project will need to receive approvals from the appropriate federal and provincial agencies. Targeted in-service date is 2017. View September 25, 2007 Manitoba Hydro press release View September 27, 2007 CBC News article View September 27, 2007 Winnipeg Free Press article (DOC) View September 26, 2007 Winnipeg Sun article Sources: Manitoba Hydro, CBC News, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Sun
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