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Canada to expand Churchill Falls with $10B clean energy investment
The project includes a transmission buildout aimed at supporting mining operations in the Labrador Trough region and linking electricity to Quebec.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $10 billion ($7.2 billion) plan to expand Canada’s Churchill Falls generating station in Newfoundland and Labrador, calling it the largest clean energy investment in North American history. The project would nearly triple the station’s current capacity, according to the federal government.
The investment will fund upgrades to the existing facility and the construction of the Gull Island hydroelectricity project between Churchill and Muskrat Falls. It also calls for more than 600 km of new transmission lines to connect Churchill Falls and deliver electricity to Quebec.
Ottawa said the transmission expansion is intended to support mining operations in the Labrador Trough region. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham said the initiative would make Newfoundlanders and Labradorians the primary beneficiaries of local resources.
The expansion is also backed by a C$2.3 million study funded through Natural Resources Canada’s First and Last Mile Fund to assess transmission lines and stations needed to bring additional power to the Labrador west area. The study is expected to benefit the Kami iron mine, the Lac Knife graphite mine, and other regional projects, the story said.