Building the Waasigan line, month by month

During a tower installation in March, an anchor system failure caused the structure to come down — no one was injured. Tower installation was paused while a third-party investigation ran; it found the precast concrete anchors were not installed to design specification, not a flaw in the engineering design or material. After the April–early May slowdown, the Ignace camp reopened May 11 and crews returned to the field on both phases.

• No injuries in the March anchor failure; affected anchor types inspected and being reinstalled with added process mitigation, increased supervision, and quality-control checks
• Ignace camp reopened May 11 — partner communities notified as work restarted across both phases
• Phase 1 by May 31: foundations 96%, anchors 93%, assembly 78%, erection 56%, stringing 40%
• Phase 2 construction plan shared: helicopters to support foundations and tower erection in work fronts six through eight this summer and fall, and ~9 km of winter road converting to all-season access

Phase 1 clearing of the right-of-way — the corridor of land the line runs through — and access reached 100%, while foundations, tower assembly, erection, and stringing all advanced toward Thunder Bay. Phase 2 clearing hit 90%, on track to finish before fire season.

• Phase 1 clearing and access both reached 100% complete
• Foundations advanced to 76% and anchors to 71%; assembly 64%, erection 42%, stringing 30%
• Phase 2 clearing reached 90% and access 63% — clearing, hand falling, and burning to finish before March 31
• Ice bridges and watercourse crossings installed and maintained through month-end

Crews kept the line moving through deep winter — clearing and developing access across both phases while advancing foundations, assembly, and stringing in Phase 1. Phase 2 clearing reached 74%, with foundation and anchor work set to begin mid-January.

• 291 structures assembled and 328 foundations completed (rock, micropile, helical, and concrete — different foundation types for different ground conditions)
• 37 km of conductor pulled and 25 km of fiber installed and tied in
• Phase 2: 499 structures cleared and access developed to 493 structures
• Burn program continuing until March 31, 2026

Valard's Wireworks team completed the first stringing pull on the line on December 5 — pulling the first stretch of conductor, the wire that carries the power, from tower to tower — kicking off the Phase 1 stringing program. Crews also prepped winter access roads in Phase 2 ahead of foundation work in the new year.

• First Stringing Pull completed December 5 — a key Phase 1 milestone, building on October's first tower raising
• Phase 1: foundations 61%, anchors 56%, assembly 51%, erection 25%, stringing started at 7%
• Phase 2 underway: clearing 44% and access 25% complete
• Indigenous workforce now 38% of the total construction crew

Phase 1 is well advanced, with clearing at 97% and access at 87%. Crews geared up for conductor stringing — using helicopters and implosive splicing, which joins wire ends with a small controlled charge — ahead of the first pull, while Phase 2 clearing and access ramped up for the winter.

• Phase 1 preparing for stringing — helicopters and implosive splicing — ahead of the first pull
• Phase 1: clearing 97%, access 87%, foundations 59%, anchors 54%, assembly 46%, erection 15%
• Phase 2 underway with clearing at 27% and access at 12%
• Indigenous apprenticeships progressing — one active, four more in the pipeline

The project's first transmission tower was erected on October 6, honoured by Indigenous communities and environmental monitors representing seven First Nations. Phase 1 clearing reached 80% as Phase 2 began ramping up.

• First tower erected October 6 at structures A30L/A31L-336, honoured by the seven First Nations
• Phase 1: clearing 80%, access 56%, foundations 50%, assembly 35%
• 13 loads of salvaged timber delivered to participating communities
• Phase 2 ramping up: clearing 5%, access 3%

Crews focused on right-of-way clearing and tower foundations while the Ignace Camp was completed and occupied, setting up the first Phase 1 tower erection on October 6. Most of the assembly crews are Indigenous.

• Phase 1 clearing reached 72% and access 55%; foundations 39%, assembly 21%
• Ignace Camp finished — crews began staying on-site in mid-September
• First Phase 1 tower erection scheduled for October 6
• 70% of the project's assembly crews are Indigenous, including four entirely Indigenous crews

The Tower Assembly Program launched with eight crews, and tower foundations advanced to 29%. Ignace Camp neared completion ahead of tower erection beginning in October.

• Tower Assembly Program kicked off, with eight newly hired crews (many Indigenous employees)
• Phase 1: clearing 71%, access 54%, foundations 29%, assembly 9%
• Ignace Camp nearly complete — workers move on-site mid-September
• Phase 1 tower erection scheduled to start in October

Valard advanced Phase 1 across multiple fronts, with clearing 71% complete and foundation and anchor installations underway in Work Fronts 3–5. In Phase 2, Ignace Laydown camp construction progressed toward an end-of-August occupancy target.

• Phase 1 clearing reached 71% as of July 31
• Access construction at 42% — crews installing geofabrics, corduroy, and mats (ground coverings that protect soil and wetlands) and building water crossings
• Foundation and anchor installations underway in Work Fronts 3–5 (foundations 18%)
• Phase 2 Ignace camp construction in progress; occupancy expected end of August