The future flows from here

Our 2023 Integrated
Resource Plan

After more than two years of conversations with thousands of Manitobans like you, we’re proud to share our first-ever Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) — a tool to understand and prepare for our province’s future energy needs.

See what we’ve learned and where we’re headed

Download our 2023 Integrated Resource Plan

2023 Integrated Resource Plan

Download (PDF, 12 MB)
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See how we plan to provide Energy for Life

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Electricity demand in Manitoba
could more than double in the next 20 years. Here’s how we’re preparing to meet your changing energy needs.

We have a plan

Electricity demand in our province is growing and we have a limited supply available. New sources of generation could be needed within the next 10 years. We need to be ready for whatever the future brings.

Now is the time to work together to manage this energy transition and shape the energy future for all Manitobans.

What you need to know

Here’s what we’ve learned from the IRP process:

  • The energy transition is already underway.
    Manitoba is in a good position today thanks to our reliable hydroelectric system that delivers about 97% of our electricity in an average year — virtually emissions-free.
  • Our existing supply of hydroelectric power is limited.
    We will need to consider diverse options for new electrical energy sources, possibly within the next 10 years.
  • Managing this energy transition will be critical.
    We need to make sure we can continue to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy for our customers.
  • Needed investment in new energy sources will put upward pressure on rates.
    This is in addition to investing in the maintenance of our existing energy system.
  • New transmission and distribution infrastructure will be required.
    We will need to connect new energy resources to our customers. This means even more investment.
  • Energy efficiency will be key to a successful transition.
    That includes ways to reduce electricity demand at peak times such as cold winter days, by using technologies that use both natural gas and electricity for space heating or programs that shift use of energy from times of high demand to times of lower demand.
  • Natural gas will play a role in getting to a low carbon future.
    Strategic use of stable, reliable natural gas can help reduce Manitoba’s overall greenhouse gas emissions while mitigating the cost of achieving those reductions.
  • Wind generation is a cost-effective potential energy choice.
    It must be paired with additional energy resources, because wind isn’t always available and storage technology is still in the early stages of development.
  • Making decisions about the energy future will not be easy.
    It will require consideration of factors beyond reliability and cost, including climate, economic development and social impacts.

Our road map

The 2023 IRP gives us a road map — a collection of things we have learned, near-term actions, and key indicators, or signposts, that we need to monitor to understand how, and how quickly, the energy landscape is changing.

We will implement the road map immediately. This includes developing specific schedules and plans for the next steps, as well as continuing to ensure they are the right ones to pursue.

Our roadmap: learnings, near-term actions, signposts, next steps.

Our next steps

Our IRP is helping us identify the near-term actions we will take over the next 5 years, including:

  • Actively managing our increasing electricity demand through new technologies and enhanced efficiency.
  • Continuing conversations with the energy planning community, our customers, and other interested parties.
  • Preparing for further rapid growth in electricity demand, including completing more detailed analyses on potential energy sources and monitoring emerging technologies such as long-term energy storage.
  • Developing options to reduce the carbon intensity of natural gas, including looking into ways we can use renewable natural gas and hydrogen in our system.
  • Exploring the potential of emerging energy technologies such as carbon capture.

Going forward

The IRP process identified signposts that we will need to monitor to understand the changes that are happening during the energy transition:

  • Government actions, policies, and regulations, including those that can influence the supply, demand, and price of energy — and the pace of decarbonization.
  • Customer decisions, including why they’re making those decisions.
  • Zero emission vehicles, including the factors influencing adoption such as driving range and costs.
  • Technologies & markets, including technologies used to produce, deliver, and store energy, and changes in energy markets.

Your voice matters

We can’t take these steps alone. We will continue to work together with Manitobans and the energy planning community to navigate the energy transition — that’s our commitment to you.

Sign up for updates

Learn more about our IRP


Our engagement process

Between fall 2021 and spring 2023, we held 4 rounds of engagement with customers and interested parties to understand their perspectives of future energy needs in Manitoba.


2023 Integrated Resource Plan document library

Read our report

Excerpts

Appendices

Engagement report

Contact us

For more information about the Integrated Resource Planning process, email us.