Chatham to Lakeshore transmission line completed a head of schedule

Power lines are seen against cloudy skies near Murvale, Ont., northwest of Kingston, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The Ontario government and Hydro One announced on Monday that the construction on the Chatham to Lakeshore transmission line had been completed one year ahead of schedule.

The investment has an estimated $237-million value according to the government, who say it will increase the reliability and resiliency of the grid and bring 400 megawatts (MW) of clean and affordable electricity to the Windsor-Essex Region, enough energy to power the entire city.

Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Electrification, Stephen Lecce, told AM800’s The Shift with Patty Handysides, that not only was it completed one year ahead of schedule, it also came in $30 million under budget.

“To move the equivalent of power for 400 megawatts, that’s like entire city of Windsor, of net energy we’re moving into the southwest. So, it’s a great story, and it’s frankly all about thinking about tomorrow. It’s about planning for the future as growth, people, and businesses move back into the Southwest,” said Lecce.

According to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator, electricity demand in the Windsor-Essex region is expected to more than double over the next 20 years, being driven largely by agricultural and industrial growth.

Lecce says the line will help support the greenhouse sector and namely the NextStar Energy Battery Plant.

“Frankly in the face of potential U.S. tariffs, it’s going to be fundamental that we remain competitive, for our businesses and for our workers, and that’s why the idea of thinking and planning for the future is a new reality in our government because for the first time in a long time we’re actually thinking about our kids.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford pitched U.S. President-elect Donald Trump an energy plan, dubbed “Fortress Am-Can,” which would build upon Ontario’s existing nuclear infrastructure to deliver more power south of the border.

Lecce says around 7.5 per cent of the province’s annual power generation goes south at a value of $700 million per year.

“Now we’re not doing this out of charity folks, our strategy is to monetize, to make money off this, we got excess power, let’s sell it, let’s make our money back and in return. That’s the future state of what we want to do here, where we’re selling and we’re leveraging our power in this negotiation,” said Ford.

Construction began in spring 2023 on the 49-kilometre, 230-kilovolt line between the Chatham Switching Station and the new Lakeshore Transformer Station.

The Windsor-Detroit interconnection represents on average 5,000 to 7,000 MWh of flow per day.

The province says the new line will continue to play a crucial role in maintaining the existing interchange capability between Ontario and Michigan.

— Dustin Coffman/AM800 News