Conawapa Generating Station
The Conawapa generation site is currently being studied for possible hydroelectric development. The proposed site is located in northern Manitoba, Canada, in the Fox Lake Resource Management Area:
- Approximately 30 kilometers downstream of the existing Limestone Generating Station and 70 km upstream of the Nelson River Estuary;
- Approximately 90 km downstream (east) of Gillam, MB.
The Conawapa Generating Station is a clean and renewable energy project that would be the largest project of its kind in Manitoba's history.
- Generating 1,485 megawatts (MW) capacity, the station would produce about 7,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), enough to service the equivalent of 636,000 homes with clean (low carbon footprint,) renewable energy.
- When built, Conawapa would increase the overall hydroelectric generating capability of the Lower Nelson River to over 4,800 MW.
The environmentally conscious project would reuse water already stored and regulated through the Stephens Lake Reservoir, limiting the estimated flooding to 5 sq-km of land. The flooded land would fall almost entirely within the natural banks of the Nelson River.
Extensive efforts are being taken to design the project so that, as much as possible, environmental effects are minimized and project benefits enhanced. Studies are currently being conducted to assess project effects in the following areas:
- physical, aquatic, and terrestrial environments;
- socio-economic conditions, including possible effects to surrounding communities and traditional ways of life.
The earliest possible in-service date of the project is 2025. After all environmental and regulatory permits and approvals are in place, construction is expected to take 8 to 8.5 years to bring the first of 10 units on-line. The estimated in-service cost of the project is $10.2 billion (based on 2013 approved estimate).
No final Conawapa development, design or construction decisions have been made to date.
