The company's investment in Ontario's clean energy future will support
economic growth, Indigenous reconciliation, local food supply,
transportation and address forecasted energy demand in the
southwest
CHATHAM,
ON, Nov. 6, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Hydro One
released the Draft Environmental Study Report for the
St. Clair Transmission Line project for public review and
comment. The report details engagement during the Class
Environmental Assessment (EA), the route selection process,
identifies potential effects to the natural and socio-economic
environments and measures Hydro One will use to avoid, minimize or
restore any negative effects of the project. For close to two
years, Hydro One has been working closely with Indigenous
communities, residents, directly impacted property owners, and
businesses and encourages interested parties to submit feedback on
the draft ESR report from now until December 7, 2023.
"Local community participation is integral to infrastructure
development, and we will integrate feedback directly into the
design, development, construction, operations and maintenance of
this project as Hydro One continues to invest in Southwest Ontario, to ensure energy is
available when and where it is needed," said Sonny
Karunakaran, Vice President, Strategic Projects and Partnerships,
Hydro One. "We will continue to work closely with Indigenous
communities who have been providing meaningful early inputs,
residents, directly impacted property owners and businesses at
every stage of this critical project to ensure local needs are
reflected in planning for the new transmission line."
The draft report relies on information collected from an
extensive field study program with more than 85 sites visited and
with almost two years of work, study and community engagement.
Overall, the report concludes that that potential effects can be
effectively managed using industry standard environmental
mitigation measures.
The benefits this transmission line will bring to the region,
include:
- a 50/50 equity partnership in the line component of the project
for five local First Nations,
- an additional 450 megawatts of clean electricity1,
bringing approximately enough energy to power a city the size of
London, Ontario,
- increased reliability and resiliency of energy supply, and
- increased economic growth in the Windsor-Essex
and Chatham area in sectors like
agriculture and electric vehicle technology.
During the public comment period, Hydro One will publish the
report online, and make electronic and hard copies available at the
following locations:
- Corunna Library, 417 Lyndoch Street, Corunna
- Chatham-Kent Public Library, 120 Queen Street, Chatham
- Wallaceburg Municipal Office, 786 Dufferin Avenue, Wallaceburg
The St. Clair Transmission Line is a proposed new double-circuit
230 kilovolt transmission line between the Lambton Transformer
Station (TS) in St. Clair Township and the Chatham Switching
Station (SS) in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Through the selection of Route 2
as the preferred route, Hydro One found this option had the least
effect on the values of importance to Indigenous communities as
well as to the natural environment, agricultural lands and
operations. As part of the Class EA, the expansion of Lambton TS
and Chatham SS is also proposed, as well as an upgrade to the
Wallaceburg Transformer Station which will increase the
transmission reliability and resiliency for the Wallaceburg area.
The St. Clair Transmission Line project is part of
a network of infrastructure projects across
southwest Ontario that will unlock the electrification
potential of Ontario's economy and help address
forecasted energy demand in the region.
To read the draft report and share comments, visit St.
Clair Transmission Line Project | Hydro One.
Quotes:
"Powering the homes in our community and continuing to grow our
local economy counts on a reliable and resilient electricity
network," said Trevor Jones, MPP,
Chatham-Kent-Leamington. "Ontario's competitive advantage in the future
will be a result of the investments being made across the southwest
in the agricultural and electric vehicle sectors. St. Clair
Transmission Line will provide and enhance clean energy to further
benefit this advantage for generations to come."
"Our community is growing, and having the energy infrastructure
to support that growth is a key factor. Ensuring access to clean
and reliable electricity is important to enabling growth, not only
in Chatham-Kent, but across the
entirety of southwestern Ontario," said Darrin Canniff,
Mayor, Municipality of Chatham-Kent. "As our energy demands
increase, we're looking forward to realizing the economic benefits
that this line and the new network will bring to Chatham-Kent
once they are built."
"This critical transmission line will enable economic growth and
jobs in our region as well as promote local food supply and
security local food supply and security, economic development and
job creation in our region," said Jeff Agar, Mayor, St. Clair
Township. "We're working together with Hydro One to ensure this
critical project is built in a sustainable way to ensure the St.
Clair community has reliable power for years to come."
"We continue to work closely with Hydro One and our members,
offering feedback on this critical transmission project to our
sector and our region," said Louis
Roesch, Zone Director, representing all farmers in
Essex and Kent counties, Ontario
Federation of Agriculture (OFA). "This new transmission line will
help our local food supply and bring more food security for our
community, and we want to ensure it benefits generations of farmers
for years to come."
Hydro One Limited (TSX:
H)
Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is
Ontario's largest electricity
transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.5
million valued customers, approximately $31.5 billion in assets as at December 31, 2022, and annual revenues in 2022 of
approximately $7.8 billion.
Our team of approximately 9,300 skilled and dedicated employees
proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system
which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities.
In 2022, Hydro One invested approximately $2.1 billion in its transmission and distribution
networks, and supported the economy through buying approximately
$1.9 billion of goods and
services.
We are committed to the communities where we live and work
through community investment, sustainability and diversity
initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Leader™
by Electricity Canada.
Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and
certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the
NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.hydroone.com,
www.sedarplus.com or www.sec.gov.
Forward-Looking Statements and
Information:
This press release and the application and investment plan to
which it refers may contain "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of applicable securities laws. Words such as "expect",
"anticipate", "intend", "attempt", "may", "plan", "will", "can",
"believe", "seek", "estimate", and variations of such words and
similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking
information. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance or actions and involve assumptions and risks and
uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual
outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed,
implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information. Some of
the factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ
materially from the results expressed, implied or forecasted by
such forward-looking information, including some of the assumptions
used in making such statements, are discussed more fully in Hydro
One's filings with the securities regulatory authorities
in Canada, which are available on SEDAR+
at www.sedarplus.com. Hydro One does not intend, and it
disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking
information, except as required by law.
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1 Southwest
Ontario Bulk Planning (ieso.ca)
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SOURCE Hydro One Inc.