Milestones marked on Manitoba Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan

To help craft a future that ensures safe, reliable, and sustainable power for its customers, Manitoba Hydro started developing its first-ever Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) last year. As of March 2022, the first step is complete.

“It’s still early in the process, but with the first stage of public engagement complete, we’ve gathered a lot of information we can evaluate and incorporate into the plan,” said Lindsay Melvin, Manitoba Hydro’s manager of Integrated Resource Planning Policy and Coordination.

Our surveys indicate 40% of our customers are considering the purchase of an electric vehicle in the near future.

An Integrated Resource Plan is a roadmap for making sure Manitoba Hydro’s electricity, natural gas supply and delivery systems meet the needs of customers for the next 20 years and beyond. As a roadmap that helps guide energy planning for the organization, the final IRP must be thorough, comprehensive, and far-reaching.

“We are looking into the future, and we need to know what our customers think,” said Terry Miles, Hydro’s director of Integrated Resource Planning.

Developing an IRP involves several steps. The first one is engaging with the public to gather input and perspectives on current states and the future of energy in Manitoba.

A survey distributed to our customers last November received almost 15,000 responses, and an initial engagement phase completed this spring included focused sessions with a diverse selection of customers and workshops with interested parties. This has started a discussion that will take various forms over the next year as the IRP is developed.

“This is an ongoing, adaptive process — not just for the current IRP, but for subsequent plans,” Melvin said. “Continuing conversations with our customers and interested parties is key to the success of that process.”

Good feedback and input from customers will help ensure Manitoba Hydro’s analyses and future models are accurate and reflect our customers’ future needs.

“There are a number of ways the future might unfold,” said Miles. “Our planning process and our completed IRP will help prepare us for the future, however it may turn out.”

Manitoba Hydro aims to have a completed Integrated Resource Plan by summer 2023, but work will continue on modifying and adapting that plan as the world continues to change.