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The Hydro System

Hydro equipment at the Jenpeg Dam in northern Manitoba. Manitoba Hydro's northern electrical generation system consists of three main elements:


These mega-projects have significantly re-engineered the province's two largest rivers (the Nelson and the Churchill) and three of the province's five largest lakes (Lake Winnipeg, Southern Indian Lake and Cedar Lake).1 See maps.

The northern hydro system is the heart of Manitoba Hydro's operations, producing 80 to 85 percent of the utility's total electrical output.2 The northern system is designed to operate as a single, integrated unit.

The remainder of Manitoba Hydro's generation (15 to 20 percent) comes from:
   - 6 smaller dams in southern Manitoba (on the Winnipeg River),
   - a coal/natural gas generating station at Brandon,
   - a natural gas generating station at Selkirk,
   - 4 remote diesel generators, and
   - wind turbines.3

See a complete list of generation facilities here (from Manitoba Hydro's 2009 Annual Report). Further information about the hydro system is avaialble at EnergyManitoba.org.

Manitoba Hydro delivers electricity to over 530,000 customers in Manitoba4 and numerous utilities outside Manitoba5 by means of an extensive transmission and distribution network.

Manitobans enjoy the lowest domestic electricity rates on the continent.6
 

Read more about the hydro system:
Churchill River Diversion
Lake Winnipeg Regulation
Dams
Impacts
Maps
Timelines
Future of Hydro
Manitoba Hydro
     See also: Fact Sheets   

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Notes

  1.  Source for lake sizes in Manitoba: The Atlas of Canada (Natural Resources Canada), Lakes webpage (accessed January 2011).
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  2. These figures reflect the variation in northern production with annual variation in water flow. Source: Manitoba Hydro annual reports.
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  3.  Source: Manitoba Hydro 2009-2010 Annual Report, page 103 (accessed January 2011).
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  4.  Manitoba Hydro 2009-2010 Annual Report, page 101 (accessed January 2011).
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  5. Source: Manitoba Hydro 2009-2010 Annual Report, page 8 (accessed January 2011).
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  6. Manitoba Hydro 2009-2010 Annual Report, page 5 (accessed January 2011).
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