Where your electricity dollar goes
Electricity powers our daily lives, and you rely on us to deliver it safely, reliably and affordably. That’s why we’re committed to being transparent about how your money is used. These investments help ensure the quality of your service today while supporting Manitoba’s energy needs for the future.
This chart breaks down where every dollar you pay goes.
Cost of generation (35.5¢)
The electricity that lets you turn on your lights or air conditioning needs to start somewhere. This portion of the graphic covers the cost of building, operating and maintaining the facilities that generate and convert the electricity that powers your daily life, including our 16 hydroelectric dams on Manitoba rivers.
Construction of our most recent hydroelectric generating station, Keeyask, began in 2014, and the station has been fully online since 2022. It was developed through collaboration with four Manitoba First Nations: Tataskweyak Cree Nation, War Lake First Nation, York Factory First Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation. It produces a whopping 4,400 gigawatt hours of electricity each year; enough energy to power around 400,000 homes. But this energy also needs to find its way to your home.
That’s where our high voltage direct current (HVDC) system comes into play. Since more than 70% of the electricity used to power Manitoban homes and businesses is generated in the north of the province, we need an effective way to transport and convert that energy throughout Manitoba.
With a vast network of transmission lines and five converter stations, our HVDC system allows large amounts of electricity to travel over long distances effectively. This is made possible by converting the electricity from alternating current (AC) to HVDC, then back to AC for use in your home.
This technology essentially forms the backbone of Manitoba’s network of electricity, and we need to ensure it stays reliable. Equipment at three of our five HVDC converter stations is approaching the end of its operational life, so major upgrades are being planned to preserve and strengthen our energy network.
Learn more about our HVDC reliability project.
Building infrastructure on this impressive scale takes years and money. The costs of upcoming upgrades are also considered in this portion of our graphic.
Finance & interest expense (32.2¢)
To fund the construction of infrastructure spanning the entire province, we must often borrow money. This part of the graphic represents the debt created by the construction and upgrades of our generating facilities, like hydroelectric dams and HVDC lines. It also includes the interest owed on this borrowed money.
Cost of transmission & distribution (24¢)
This part of the graphic covers the costs of building, maintaining and upgrading the system that brings electricity to you.
Electricity travels from a generating station all the way to your home through our HVDC network. Transmission lines bring power from where it begins to where it needs to be. Our distribution system brings the energy into your home and includes overhead and underground cables, transformer stations and other critical infrastructure.
All 76,000 kilometres of distribution lines in Manitoba take the energy turned back to AC by our five converter stations through substations, then into your neighbourhood’s power grid. Finally, the electricity reaches the meter in your home after being stepped down to a safe voltage.
With so many moving parts and a service area of over 650,000 km2, it’s a vast network that must be run smoothly and well maintained to keep electricity safe and reliable for you.
Other items (8.3¢)
As an energy utility, we face other costs that go beyond the construction and maintenance of our generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Environmental stewardship is one of our main pillars, to ensure our responsibility to our planet is reflected in our work.
Read more about our commitment to the environment.
We operate throughout Manitoba, on the original territories of First Nations people. The legacy of the past remains a strong influence on our relationships with Indigenous communities today. Several commitments and programs to and for Indigenous people in Manitoba are included here.
Learn more about our Indigenous Relations.
Billing, meter readings, inspections and other services are also considered in this part of the chart.
As your electricity provider, our greatest responsibility is to provide you with safe, reliable and affordable Energy for Life. Every dollar that you spend on your monthly bill is carefully put to its best use, from building generating resources to planning for our energy future.
