Waasigan · The project
Waasigan Transmission Line
A major 230-kilovolt transmission project in northwestern Ontario — and the flagship that proves the path from training to employment is real.
The project
Waasigan delivers two new transmission segments: a double-circuit 230 kV line from Lakehead TS (Shuniah) to Mackenzie TS (Atikokan), and a single-circuit 230 kV line from Mackenzie TS to Dryden TS.
Together they add roughly 350 megawatts of capacity — enough to support about eleven new mining operations — addressing an anticipated 180% growth in mining-related electricity demand in the region.
Phase 1 · Thunder Bay → Atikokan
Expected in service later in 2026.
Phase 2 · Atikokan → Dryden
Expected in service by the end of 2027.
The partners
- Hydro One Networks Inc. — project owner
- Valard Construction LP — construction & safety (EPC contractor)
- Chi Mino Ozhitoowin LP — training & opportunity, owned by seven First Nations
Nine partner First Nations are built into the project — through employment, business opportunity, environmental oversight, and agreements to share in ownership of the line itself.
Throughout, the work respects Anishinaabe traditional values — building participation through training, employment, and Indigenous business development.
By the numbers
The scale of the Waasigan line
- 9
- Partner First Nations
- 350 MW
- New power capacity
- 230 kV
- Transmission voltage
- 2
- Line segments in NW Ontario
Building the line builds opportunity
The line is the beginning, not the end
Every kilometre of clearing, every foundation, every tower is a job, a training opportunity, and a step toward something bigger — opportunity that outlasts the project.
From builders to owners
Our communities share in the line itself — a step toward economic reconciliation.
How ownership works