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Areas 4 and 6 - North of Dryden - Draft Regional Plan
The OPA is pleased to make available a Draft Reference Integrated Regional Resource Plan for the North of Dryden area of the Northwest region. This regional plan accounts for the needs in areas 4, 5 and 6 in the diagram. It also provides input to the broader planning work underway for areas 1 and 3.

The plan proposes two initiatives to meet the near-term electricity needs north of Dryden:

1) building a new transmission line from the Dryden / Ignace area to Pickle Lake
2) upgrading the existing transmission lines from Dryden to Ear Falls and from Ear Falls to Red Lake.

Recognizing the need to plan for future demand growth in the North of Dryden area, the Minister of Energy, in his February 17, 2011, Supply Mix Directive to the OPA, identified a new line to Pickle Lake as one of the five priority transmission projects required for, among other things, serving new load. The Supply Mix Directive directed the OPA to include a new line to Pickle Lake in its plans, and to define and make recommendations on the scope and timing of this new line.

The estimated cost of these projects during the planning period is between $234 million and $271 million. Together these projects increase the Pickle Lake subsystem’s ability to meet demand from 24 MW to between 70 MW and 140 MW, and more than double the Red Lake subsystem’s ability to do so, taking it from 61 MW to 130 MW.

The provision of reliable electricity supply to the area North of Dryden requires that electricity be generated and / or transmitted from elsewhere in the Northwest. Additional planning and development work is underway to ensure an adequate supply is available in the overall Northwest. This includes the expansion to the East-West tie, co-generation in the Kenora District and potentially the development of new generation and transmission into the Dryden area. Given current system conditions, generation from the Thunder Bay or Atikokan areas is not capable of meeting the load growth forecast for the north of Dryden area.

Engagement to Date
Over the past 18 months, the OPA has engaged with remote communities, municipalities, stakeholder groups and industry to better understand the needs of the north of Dryden area and communicate options that the OPA is considering for the Draft Reference Integrated Regional Resource Plan for the North of Dryden area. Presentations have been made to the following groups and events:

• Ontario Mining Conference – June, 2013
• Common Voice Northwest – May, 2013
• Kenora District Municipal Association AGM – February, 2013
• Central Corridor Energy Group/Wataynikaneyap Power – various meetings 2011-2013
• Sagatay Transmission L.P. – various meetings 2012-2013
• Sioux Lookout Aboriginal Advisory Management Board - Trades Conference Fall 2012
• Aboriginal Energy Forum – December 2012
• Keewaytinook Okimakanak Chiefs Annual Meeting – December 2012
• Red Lake Mining Forum – October 2012
• Northwestern Ontario First Nations Transmission Planning Committee – various meetings 2011-2012

Consistent with the recommendations the OPA and IESO have provided to the Ministry of Energy related to regional planning and infrastructure siting, the OPA is planning a series of engagement meetings with municipalities, First Nations and Métis communities and other stakeholders to discuss the draft North of Dryden regional plan. Details of these meetings will be made available as they become more clear.

The OPA invites all interested parties to provide comments on the draft plan. Submissions can be sent to northofdryden@powerauthority.on.ca.