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The Ontario government has designated the Greenstone Transmission Line as a priority infrastructure project and appointed Hydro One to develop and construct the new electricity transmission corridor intended to support power demand and economic development in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire region.

The 230-kilometre transmission line will run from Nipigon Bay to near Aroland First Nation, providing new grid capacity to support mining development, reduce reliance on diesel generation, and enable future electricity supply growth in the North.

The project was announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines, and Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, alongside representatives from several First Nations communities. Construction of the Greenstone line is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs, according to the province.

Once completed in 2032, the line is expected to unlock between 350 and 700 megawatts of additional hydroelectric and other power generation capacity. Electricity demand in northern Ontario is projected to increase by 81 per cent by 2050, driven largely by mining activity, population growth, and electrification.

The Greenstone Transmission Line forms part of the Aroland–Ontario Shared Prosperity Agreement, which includes $70 million in provincial funding to advance development. Indigenous communities will be eligible to participate through Hydro One’s First Nations Equity Partnership Model, which allows for up to 50 per cent Indigenous ownership of the project.

The initiative aligns with Energy for Generations, Ontario’s Integrated Energy Plan, which emphasizes transmission expansion, Indigenous partnership, and long-term energy security to support economic growth across the province.

Source: laurasmithmpp.ca