Brush burning making way for power lines

By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Source: The Chronicle-Journal

Rural residents who live near areas of ongoing construction for Hydro One’s Waasigan high-voltage power line may occasionally see smoke in the sky as controlled brush burning for the project continues over the next few months, the utility says.

“Routine burning will occur intermittently along the project route from Shuniah to Atikokan, and Atikokan to Dryden, until spring 2026,” a Hydro One spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Controlled burns along Highway 11-17 between Highway 527 and Shuniah’s MacGregor Road were recently completed, she added.

Before burning occurs, local fire departments are made aware, the utility says.

The $1.2-billion Waasigan project is being built in two phases.

The first phase, a double-circuit 230-kilovolt line between Shuniah and Atikokan, was to be in service by the end of 2025.

Phase two, to involve a single-circuit 230-KV line between Atikokan and Dryden, is to be completed over the next two years.

Waasigan is a partnership between Hydro One and nine Northwestern Ontario First Nations

The line has been driven by an anticipated spike in demand for electricity required by what’s believed to be an increase in mining in the region, Hydro One has said.