Manitoba Water Power Act licensing
In Manitoba, all projects that use water to produce power are subject to the Manitoba Water Power Act (WPA) and its Regulations. A new development is initially authorized under an Interim Licence which allows a proponent to build the project and, after a period of operation, confirm that the existing licence terms are suitable. If the Minister of Conservation and Climate is satisfied that the licensee has met the terms and conditions of the Interim Licence, a Final Licence is issued. This is not a permanent licence, nor is it automatically renewed. The maximum length of term that can be granted is 50 years. When that term comes to an end, the licensee requests a Renewal Licence. If granted, this licence will also have a fixed term. Manitoba Hydro has 19 hydraulic facilities with WPA licences. The status of licensing for each of these facilities is located at the Government of Manitoba Environment, Climate and Parks website.
Manitoba Hydro hydraulic projects
- Churchill River Diversion;
- Lake Winnipeg Regulation;
- Grand Rapids generating station;
- Great Falls generating station;
- Jenpeg Control Structure and generating station;
- Keeyask generating station 1;
- Kelsey generating station;
- Kettle generating station;
- Laurie River I & II generating stations;
- Limestone generating station;
- Long Spruce generating station;
- McArthur Falls generating station;
- Missi Falls Control Structure;
- Pine Falls generating station;
- Pointe du Bois generating station;
- Seven Sisters generating station;
- Slave Falls generating station;
- Wuskwatim generating station 1.
1 Note: These projects are owned by a partnership and are not wholly owned by Manitoba Hydro.
Due to widespread public interest in our Lake Winnipeg Regulation Project, here is a summary on the status of the WPA licensing for this project:
WPA Final Licence for Lake Winnipeg Regulation Project
In 2015, the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission (CEC) conducted a review regarding the licensing of LWR. On July 31, 2014, we submitted a document in support of our request for a Final Licence (see below).
A Final Licence would be expected to run until July 16, 2026, which is 50 years from the completion of construction and commencement of operation of LWR. Manitoba Hydro expects to apply for a Renewal Licence before a Final Licence expires.
Interim Licence
The Province of Manitoba issued an Interim Licence under the Manitoba WPA for LWR on November 18, 1970 and a Supplementary Interim Licence authorized on August 8, 1972. The Interim Licence, a standard feature of the Water Power Regulation, authorized the design, construction, and subsequent operation of LWR. Construction was completed in 1976. Since then, LWR has operated under the authority of the Interim Licence.
Manitoba CEC submission
The Manitoba CEC reviewed the licensing of LWR. Their report is available at CEC 2015 Final Report.
- Lake Winnipeg Regulation: A Document in Support of Manitoba Hydro’s Request for a Final Licence under the Manitoba Water Power Act (PDF, 12.8 MB);
- Section 1 – Background and History – includes Cover Letter, Executive Summary, and Table of Contents (PDF, 5.8 MB);
- Section 2 – Project Licensing, Facilities, and Operations: How It All Works (PDF, 2.3 MB);
- Section 3 – LWR Downstream Area Effects and Manitoba Hydro Responses (PDF, 4 MB);
- Section 4 – Public Engagement and Public Concerns – Lake Winnipeg (PDF, 793 KB);
- Section 5 – A Commitment to Sustainability (PDF, 249 KB);
- Section 6 – Final Licence Request: A Concluding Note – includes Glossary and General References (PDF, 85 KB).
Appendices
- Appendix 1 – Interim Water Power Act Licences for LWR and Jenpeg (PDF, 3.7 MB);
- Appendix 2 – Licence Compliance Water Level Charts (PDF, 5.1 MB);
- Appendix 3 – An Assessment of LWR Effects Based on Hydrometric Data (PDF, 2.1 MB);
- Appendix 4 – An Assessment of Regulation Effects on Lake Winnipeg (PDF, 9.2 MB);
- Appendix 5 – Shoreline Monitoring and Erosion Protection Downstream from Lake Winnipeg (PDF, 954 KB);
- Appendix 6 – Environmental Effects Downstream from Lake Winnipeg (PDF, 3.4 MB);
- Appendix 7 – Lake Winnipeg Watershed Hydroclimatic Study (PDF, 3.1 MB);
- Appendix 8 – Discussion of Key Biological Concerns on Lake Winnipeg (PDF, 2.5 MB);
- Appendix 9 – Table of Sustainable Development Principles (PDF, 523 KB);
- Appendix 10 – An Assessment of Alternative Lake Winnipeg Power Ranges (PDF, 11 MB);
- Appendix 11 – LWR Economic Evaluation (PDF, 734 KB);
- Appendix 12 – Lake Winnipeg Regulation (PDF, 384 KB).
- Lake Winnipeg Shoreline Management Handbook (PDF, 3.1 MB).
- Lake Winnipeg Regulation – Invited Technical Session (PDF, 5.8 MB).
- Lake Winnipeg Regulation CEC Hearings – Open House Storyboards (PDF, 11 MB);
- Responses to information requests during the CEC hearing as of January 30, 2015 (PDF, 10 MB).