Call for power: Indigenous majority-owned wind

We released an Expression of Interest (EOI) on June 13. See the EOI and submit a response before the July 11 closing date.

It is not mandatory to respond to the EOI; however we strongly encourage all interested parties to reply because it will help us assess the market’s interest, ability, and readiness to respond to the RFP.

Access to project information on MERX will be available regardless of your participation in the EOI.

Key terms of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) are included in the EOI that was released June 13, 2025. For more information visit MERX. We are also developing a “pro-forma” PPA which is anticipated to be available in a later phase of this procurement.

The resource solicitation process begins when all proposals have been submitted to us. We, acting as the Solicitor, will submit all interconnection requests simultaneously to transmission services to conduct a resource solicitation study.

The resource solicitation study will be conducted using the interconnection request information provided in the proponent’s proposal.

Individual proponents are not expected to interact directly with transmission services unless and until we inform transmission services that those proponents have been selected as a successful proponent. Successful proponents will then move to the interconnection facilities study phase under our Open Access Interconnection Tariff.

Proponents who have submitted interconnection requests for wind prior to the RFP will need to suspend such requests in order to participate in the resource solicitation study. No advantage or priority in the RFP will be afforded to any entity directly submitting an interconnection request prior to the RFP.

An overview of the resource solicitation process as it relates to this Call for Power is included in the EOI that was released June 13, 2025. Read more about the resource solicitation process.

Details on interconnection requests and the resource solicitation process are included in our Open Access Interconnection Tariff (OAIT) (PDF, 1.5 MB).

We have published exploratory study results to provide prospective interconnection customers with a rough approximation of the costs associated with the interconnection of a facility and delivery of energy from a facility to Manitoba load based on a range of facility sizes and locations throughout the Province of Manitoba.

Read the final exploratory study results (PDF, 998 KB).

A Generator’s Plant must be no smaller than 90 MW and no larger than 200 MW in nameplate capacity.

Successful wind generation projects will be subject to the Province of Manitoba’s environmental assessment and licensing process under The Environment Act.  Read more about this process on the provincial government’s website.

The Manitoba Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program (MILGP) is administered by the Province of Manitoba. Interested applicants can visit https://www.manitoba.ca/milgp or email MILGP@gov.mb.ca.

A proposal submitted in response to the anticipated RFP can be submitted by a single eligible entity that includes multiple Indigenous Nations. Please refer to EOI Appendix C: RFP Evaluation Process and Criteria, Section 2.1 Indigenous Nation Equity Ownership.

An Indigenous Nation can participate in more than one proposal as an equity partner.

Each individual Indigenous Nation included in a plan outlining intended Equity Ownership in an RFP Proposal must provide a Band Council Resolution or a Resolution of the MMF Cabinet that states each Indigenous Nation(s) intent to hold Equity Ownership in the Project.

Any proposed Generator’s Plant’s Point of Interconnection (POI) must connect directly to one of the fourteen existing Manitoba Hydro substations identified in the EOI Appendix D: Eligible Substations for Interconnection. Connecting to other locations along the existing transmission line (i.e. “tapping”) is not an available option for this anticipated RFP.

The POI will be on the High Voltage (HV) side of the transformer at the proponent’s facility.

In accordance with the Manitoba Hydro’s Open Access Interconnection Tariff (OAIT), Manitoba Hydro is responsible for the design, licensing, and construction of the Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities and Interconnection System Upgrades, required for the Interconnection Request.

Manitoba Hydro will own any new interconnection transmission lines that interconnect from the Manitoba Hydro substation to the POI.

Pursuant to Manitoba Hydro’s Open Access Interconnection Tariff (OAIT), any costs related to Interconnection System Upgrades (ISU) and Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities (TOIF) will be the responsibility of the interconnection customer. Manitoba Hydro will reimburse the Generator for applicable costs associated with Interconnection System Upgrades (ISU) subject to the terms of the PPA up to an established maximum.

The OAIT determines if and when ISU costs are applicable. Refer to OAIT 7.1.12 for explanations regarding how applicable ISU costs are allocated.

As per EOI Appendix C: RFP EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA – Section 4.2, the Proponent will receive 1 full point for submitting a wind resource assessment which utilizes a minimum of 12 months of onsite wind data. The evaluation scoring criteria included in Section 4.2 of the EOI does not contemplate awarding partial points for fewer than 12 months of onsite wind data.

ISU costs will not be factored into Appendix C: Section 5 Price Evaluation but will be considered in Section 6 Ranking Proposals.

Manitoba Hydro has posted Notice of Planned Changes to MH Facility Interconnection Requirements which includes Planned Changes to Generator Facility Technical Interconnection Requirements and Planned Changes to Model Submission Requirements for Inverter-Based Resources. Feedback on the planned changes can be submitted to Manitoba Hydro until July 30, 2025, in accordance with the instructions provided in the notice.