Green energy: Building the energy system for what comes next M anitoba has an advantage many jurisdictions are spending billions of dollars trying to build: abundant, predominantly renewable electricity. system Manitoba will need 10, 20 and 30 years from now — and what kind of economic growth we want it to enable.” Manitoba Hydro's 2025 Integrated Resource Plan confirms the province needs new sources of Beyond hydro Hydroelectricity will remain the foundation of Manitoba's electricity system, but the province is already diversifying. Manitoba Hydro is procuring
electricity by 2030. Its recommended development plan includes up to 600 megawatts of new wind generation, approximately 750 megawatts of natural-gas combustion turbines for firm capacity, upgrades to existing generating assets and expanded energy-efficiency and demand- response measures. For Duval, timing matters because economic development can move much faster than energy infrastructure. “A business can make an investment decision in months. Major generation and transmission infrastructure can take years to plan, approve and build,” she says. “If we wait until demand is at our doorstep to decide what infrastructure we need, we risk watching those investments go somewhere else.”
For decades, hydroelectricity has provided a foundation for economic development and one of the cleanest electricity systems in North America. But as electricity demand grows and jurisdictions compete for investment in critical minerals, advanced manu- facturing and emerging industries, having a green energy advantage is no longer enough. The question is whether Manitoba can build on that advantage quickly enough to capture the economic opportunities ahead. “We’ve inherited an incredible advantage in Manitoba,” says Sarah Duval, president and CEO of the Manitoba Environmental Industries Association (MEIA). “But we can’t sim- ply assume it will always be there. We need to think now about the energy
up to 600 megawatts of new wind generation, with projects required to be majority Indigenous-owned. Manitoba has also established an Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program offering up to $300 million in guarantees, initially focused on helping First Nations and Métis governments participate as equity owners in these projects. That represents more than new generation. It connects energy development with Indigenous economic participation and long-term ownership of major infrastructure. Manitoba's Affordable Energy Plan also calls for refurbishing existing hydro generating stations to unlock addi- tional capacity and better aligning large grid connections with the province's economic-development objectives.
“Major generation and transmission
infrastructure can take years to plan, approve and build. If we wait until demand is at our doorstep to decide what infrastructure we need, we risk watching those investments go somewhere else.” — SARAH DUVAL, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MEIA
17 WINTER 2026
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