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A hydro-electric generating station in northern Manitoba has been temporarily closed for inspections out of an “abundance of caution.”
Manitoba Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen said the utility took all six units at the Jenpeg generating station out of service on Feb. 11 following a repair on a generator in late January.
“The condition of that unit needed more repair work than initially anticipated,” Owen said in a statement Wednesday. “Based on its condition, a decision was made to take all generating units offline for a more comprehensive inspection and testing of each unit.”
WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Hydro Jenpeg Generating Station on the Nelson River has been out of service since Feb. 11, which contributes 115 megawatts of electricity to Hydro’s total capacity of about 6,100 megawatts.
The station is located on the Nelson River about 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
Inspections and testing have been ongoing for the past two weeks and a timeline to restore operations is unclear.
“Once the results of the inspections and testing are complete, we’ll have a better understanding of the needed repairs,” Owen said.
“We’re currently working to restore generators we find in good operating condition once inspections and testing are complete.”
The first generator at Jenpeg went into service in 1977 and its powerhouse and spillway structures regulate about 85 per cent of water that flows out of Lake Winnipeg.
It contributes 115 megawatts of electricity to Manitoba Hydro’s total generating capacity of approximately 6,100 megawatts, the utility said.
Owen said the shutdown poses no risk to the public.
The shutdown comes as drought conditions have hampered the utility’s ability to produce power, hurting its bottom line and forcing it to import electricity from the United States. In its second-quarter report, the Crown corporation forecast a $160-million loss owing to low water levels, reduced energy exports to the spot market, and increased operating expenses.
Interim Hydro chief executive officer Hal Turner will appear at a legislative committee on Thursday morning to present the utility’s 2022-23 annual report to legislators.
danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
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