Manitoba Hydro equipment upgrades strengthen connections in western Manitoba
Media Release - March 28, 2025
Strong communities need stronger connections. We are replacing equipment throughout western Manitoba to ensure your power is on and steady, reducing the number and duration of outages.
With aging equipment and damage from winter storms, electrical infrastructure in western parts of the province is becoming less reliable and struggling to keep up with demand — and it’s costing us more to maintain. To ensure your communities have reliable, affordable energy, we’re working on three significant projects throughout the Westman and Parkland regions:
· Portage Area Capacity Enhancement (PACE)
We’ve built a new electrical station west of Portage la Prairie — Wash’ake Mayzoon — and will be installing a new high-voltage transmission line that connects this station to Dorsey Converter Station northwest of Winnipeg. These upgrades will serve not only Portage la Prairie but connected communities throughout the southwest by reducing the number and length of outages. This work is possible in part thanks to $70.9 million in funding from the federal government.
· Dauphin-Vermillion Station
Some of the electrical equipment serving the Dauphin area is between 50 and 70 years old, and as it ages, it isn’t performing as well. It also costs us more to operate, maintain and repair as it becomes more and more obsolete. We’re replacing equipment at the Dauphin-Vermillion Station to keep energy affordable and to ensure more reliable power for the community.
· Brandon-Victoria Station
The City of Brandon relies on Brandon-Victoria Station for electricity, and there aren’t a lot of backup options if something goes wrong. This can be especially disruptive for producers and manufacturers who need reliable energy to produce the food we rely on. We’re replacing many pieces of equipment, like transformer banks, breakers, and risers, to make sure your power is more reliable and to ensure we can support families and business in Westman.
We know outages can be frustrating, and by upgrading aging equipment, we’re supporting western Manitoba businesses, homes, and economic growth. You can learn more about our work in western Manitoba here: https://www.hydro.mb.ca/corporate/operations/transmission/#portage