Hydro One commits $40 million to local infrastructure upgrades

Hydro One will be sinking $40 million into infrastructure upgrades in Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District over the next four years. 

The Sault #3 transmission line - which spans from the Sault to the Montreal River area - will see 70 kilometres of transmission lines and wood poles replaced as part of the upgrade project.  

“This line was behind us was built in 1929, so it’s exceeded its useful life, and essentially we’re replacing that for liability purposes as well as to support economic growth and development in the region,” said Hydro One President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Poweska during the announcement, held Tuesday at Hydro One's Third Line transmission station.  

Upgrades are also expected to take place at the D.A. Watson transmission station in Wawa and the Echo River transmission station outside of Echo Bay, in addition to tree-trimming projects along 400 kilometres of Hydro One corridors. 

Poweska says the upgrades will support economic development in the region, including plans to go ahead with a ferrochrome smelter in Sault Ste. Marie. 

“This will provide some of the energy that those types of developments in the area would need - not all of them, but some of them,” he said.

Work on the infrastructure upgrades are expected to take place next summer, with some pre-work slated for later in the year.