ManitobaA multi-billion-dollar combustion turbine project planned for the city of Brandon will give the province “power sovereignty,” said Mayor Jeff Fawcett.Manitoba Hydro says new facility needed by end of decade to meet expected demandMichele McDougall · CBC News · Posted: Nov 20, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Brandon Generating Station has not generated electricity since Aug. 2018, Manitoba Hydro says. (Riley Laychuk/CBC)A multi-billion-dollar combustion turbine project planned for the city of Brandon will give the province “power sovereignty,” said the Wheat City’s mayor, echoing comments made by Premier Wab Kinew during Tuesday’s throne speech.“It’s great news,” Mayor Jeff Fawcett said.“Power sovereignty is important. Meaning that with the power we would have, we would be able to make sure that at peak times in cold, cold winters, we should be sustainable.”The Manitoba government is proposing to build a $3-billion combustion turbine facility at the existing Manitoba Hydro generating station in Brandon’s east end.Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the proposed construction of new turbines at the existing Manitoba Hydro generating station in Brandon’s east end is great news. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)The provincial Crown corporation said three 250-megawatt fuel combustion turbines will meet the increasing demand for power. It proposed a completed project no later than the end of 2029 to stave off expected power shortages.There are no timelines as far as shovels in the ground at the Brandon facility, said Peter Chura, a spokesperson for Hydro. It’s too early to provide specifics about what construction will look like, he added.What Chura does know is the reason why the expansion is necessary.“We have identified that peak demand for electricity by 2029-30 will exceed Manitoba Hydro’s capacity, and the turbines would be intended to meet that need,” Chura said.“That’s an important point — the turbines would only run as needed to meet peak capacity needs, as a backup to future wind energy sources, and in case of emergencies,” Chura said in a prepared email statement to CBC.Next steps for Manitoba Hydro will include working with government and regulators for all the necessary approvals.But a Brandon-based sustainability group says they don’t think the planned turbines will meet the climate targets the provincial government set in October.Quentin Robinson with Sustainable Brandon said the proposed addition of a new fuel-burning station goes against the NDP’s pledge to create a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.“Our concern is about the cost per kilowatt hour as well as the cost for our climate, which is immeasurable,” Robinson said. “We have other options.”His concern is that the province needs to be moving away from fossil fuels to achieve net zero by looking at cheaper, scalable options. Alternatives could include a battery system that stores power in the off-peak hours and releases it during peak demand.“None of us want to, some night in January, wake up and find that our electric furnace isn’t running right. But there are other alternatives that could be considered,” Robinson said.Kinew told CBC Wednesday that the province currently imports power from the United States, but that’s something he can’t count on under U.S. President Donald Trump.That means the province has to be independent when it comes to money, power and energy, he said. At the same time it will help the environment by moving from natural gas, which can be converted to renewable gases like methane and later hydrogen in the future.“This energy plant will help us do this,” Kinew said.“So the idea is let’s build up our economy now and then we’re going to use technology to make sure that we hit the goals on the environment and we’ll hit that net-zero target by 2035.”Madelyn Robinson, Sustainable Brandon chair, said she questions if the plant will meet those targets. “I’m just extremely concerned. And I just really believe that what I would like from my government is bold action toward curbing carbon emissions,” Madelyn said.“This is not … what I’m hoping for.”ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michele McDougall is a news reporter at CBC Manitoba based in Brandon. She previously worked at the Brandon Sun covering health stories in Western Manitoba.
$3B combustion turbine gets warm welcome from Brandon mayor, cold shoulder from environmentalists
