Manitoba Hydro is set to decommission a 60-year-old generating station.
Hydro said Wednesday that its thermal Selkirk Generating Station is being taken out of service due to the completion of a number of projects — the Bipole III transmission line, the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project, and the Keeyask Generating Station — that render it unnecessary.
The station was being used as an emergency supply for southern Manitoba during the winter months, Hydro said.
“Our system is such now that it no longer makes economic or environmental sense for Manitoba Hydro to maintain and operate the Selkirk station,” said Hydro’s Shane Mailey.
Get daily National news
“We can supply more than enough power with our hydroelectric stations. We no longer need the extra capacity Selkirk Generating Station provides.”
The station currently employs 33 people, and Mailey said some will be redeployed after the closure, while others will remain at the plant in critical roles like security, maintenance, and fire protection.
“We’re working closely with the unions to redeploy staff according to provisions of our collective agreements,” Mailey said.
The closure is expected to save around $5 million a year and lower the province’s average greenhouse gas emissions by five kilotonnes a year.
Comments