Manitoba Hydro is evacuating its remaining staff from the Pointe du Bois and Slave Falls generating stations as wildfires in eastern Manitoba continue to spread and threaten road access to the facilities.
The Canadian utility confirmed both stations will be shut down and left in a safe state, with generating units offline and water passing through spillways. The closures will remove approximately 70MW of generating capacity from the grid. However, Manitoba Hydro says this will not impact electricity service, as other facilities can make up the difference.
“Safety is the top priority at Manitoba Hydro,” the utility said. Most employees were evacuated earlier this week, with about six staff members still on site as of Wednesday morning. Those remaining employees are expected to leave later today.
Hydro crews are also working to de-energize power lines in the affected areas to reduce risk for firefighters. Some customers have lost power due to wildfire damage to poles, lines, and other equipment. The full extent of the damage will not be known until crews can safely access the area.
As of Wednesday morning, about 200 customers in the Wendigo Beach area at Lac du Bonnet are without power. Around 300 are out in the Bird Lake and Booster Lake areas, 900 on the west side of the Lee River, and 100 in the Beresford Lake area. There is no estimate for when power will be restored.
