Aren’t there other power options?

It seems like only yesterday that Manitoba Hydro was basking in the glory of what to do with all the surplus energy being generated by the newly constructed hydro generating stations along the Nelson River. And so it built a multibillion-dollar, high-voltage hydro line to export this surplus energy to the U.S. Bipole III, they called it.

Now, managers at Manitoba Hydro are telling us Manitobans could be facing a power shortage as early as 2029 and that a natural gas turbine generating station is urgently required.

Part of this looming shortfall can be attributed to our growing population and we must not ignore the fact our consumptive lifestyle keeps demanding ever more megawatts.

So what happened to cause such a dramatic turnaround?

I believe there are other complications unfolding that our leaders are reluctant to talk about.

Manitoba Hydro operates 14 hydro generating stations and there is the potential for several more along the Nelson River. So why is Manitoba Hydro planning to build a multibillion-dollar gas turbine facility instead of building more hydro stations?

What Manitoba Hydro is not telling us is that, despite our vast watershed, there is simply not enough water to operate these mega hydro stations at peak efficiency during extended periods of drought.

And we have to wonder. What was accomplished when they built the Jenpeg dam at the outlet from Lake Winnipeg?

It turned Lake Winnipeg into a giant reservoir which, for a time, evened out the downstream flow to the Nelson River, but it did nothing to enhance the total flow of water from our limited watershed.

Abundant rains this past summer may have lulled us into an air of complacency but the daily news should be a reminder that we are living in different times.

The whole world is heating up, causing horrendous climatic disasters and untold human misery. One doesn’t have to be a hydraulic engineer to recognize that one day, because of unpredictable rainfall, our vaunted hydro generating system may fail us.

So what should we be doing to prepare for such a horrendous calamity?

Most definitely Manitoba’s leaders should be evaluating alternate methods of generating electricity. I believe we should be gradually transitioning from hydro to renewable technologies such as wind power and solar.

It is now clear that these systems are the least costly methods of producing electricity and they are the least harmful to the environment.

Of course, renewable systems require backup for periods when the sun doesn’t shine and the winds don’t blow.

Could large-scale batteries store enough energy to fill the need during these down periods? Maybe we should be taking another look at nuclear energy?

However, let us not forget that we still have impressive hydro generating capacity even when water levels on Lake Winnipeg are not at their highest. Now, if these hydro plants were used more sparingly, particularly during periods of low water, we may not need any other backups and Manitoba’s total electrical needs could be met for years to come.

It is deeply puzzling why managers at Manitoba Hydro seem hell-bent on building a $3 billion gas turbine plant when there are other options.

Surely they must know that burning fossil fuels will add more carbon to the atmosphere and exacerbate the effects of climate change. They should also be aware of the significant health perils they pose. One only has to read the cogent article on the Free Press Think Tank page on Aug. 19, Brandon’s gas plant: a health decision.

The authors, Dr. Riley De Blonde and Dr. Scott Blyth, outline in great detail the multiple health hazards that would be thrust upon innocent lives by this outdated technology.

Hopefully, our premier and other political leaders will recognize that Hydro’s proposal to build a multibillion-dollar gas turbine plant is pure folly. It is time to direct Hydro managers and engineers to come up with a different plan. One that all Manitobans can get behind as we enter a new and challenging era.

Jules Legal writes from Winnipeg.