Ontario designates Hydro One to invest in the Red Lake Transmission Line
May 13, 2026
Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce directed the Ontario Energy Board to designate Hydro One to develop and construct the Red Lake Transmission Line in northwest Ontario, north of Dryden. The proposed priority project consists of a new double-circuit 230-kilovolt transmission line that will run from Dryden Transformer Station (TS) north to Ear Falls TS, including associated station facilities and will continue on to connect to Red Lake Switching Station. The project is expected to be in service by the early 2030s.
Once built, the Red Lake Transmission Line is expected to add about 400 megawatts of electricity in northwest Ontario, nearly quadrupling existing capacity. The project is also expected to strengthen regional reliability and reinforce the grid for newly connected northern remote communities and the broader region.
Through Hydro One’s First Nation Equity Partnership Model, proximate First Nations will have the opportunity to invest in a 50 per cent equity stake in the transmission line component of the project. Together, Hydro One and the proximate First Nations will collaborate on the planning, development and construction of the line.
