Hydro-Québec has put forward a proposal for where it will build the new transmission lines that will connect the Cadieux substation to the new substation it plans to build in Mansfield-et-Pontefract.
Last May, the hydro provider announced plans to build a 120-25 kV substation near Fort-Coulonge, as well as rebuild the Cadieux substation in Bryson and update 30 kilometres of supply lines between the two. There will also be new distribution lines put up between the Coulonge substation and the existing Waltham generating station.
Currently, residents east of Mansfield get their electricity from lower voltage distribution lines coming from the Cadieux station in Bryson, while residents in the upper Pontiac are dependent on the Waltham generating station for their power. There are no high voltage transmission lines west of Bryson.
The planned upgrades will shorten the distance the distribution lines have to cover to get power to upper Pontiac homes after leaving the substation and connect residents to Quebec’s grid, making their power supply far more reliable.
In a community consultation hosted last Wednesday (May 20) in Fort-Coulonge, representatives from the utility provider shared a map of the route it is suggesting for these supply lines and took questions and feedback from residents on the larger project.
Leaving the Cadieux station, the route (displayed here) travels just east of Highway 148 through Bryson and Litchfield to Fort-Coulonge, clipping a corner of Campbell’s Bay on its way through.
The route is designed, in part, to offer the lines the longest possible stretch of straight corridor before having to change direction, and makes only two pivots before it gets to the Coulonge substation.
The towers carrying the lines will be between 24.25 metres and 47 metres tall. A 56-metre wide clearing will need to be maintained along the entire route of the power lines to ensure no trees obstruct them.
In the first and third legs of the route, Hydro-Québec offers a variant to the primary course, and says it is seeking resident feedback to determine which option will be least intrusive.
“In one of the options, we pass along the bottom of the properties. We’d like to prioritize this option over the one that passes through the middle of the properties,” said Hydro-Québec community relations advisor Simon Desjardins.
He said Hydro-Québec will not be purchasing the needed land, but will have a right of way to it. He said there is compensation available for property owners depending on how much land will be used by the infrastructure, and how much forested land needs to be cleared.
“We have to find the route with the least impact,” said Johanne Savard, another Hydro-Québec communications advisor, noting representatives of the corporation had already met with many of the landowners affected.
Campbell’s Bay residents Scott Brown and Eryn Darling were among the property owners surprised to learn their land would likely soon have large transmission lines cutting through it.
They moved to the region from southern Ontario about three years ago to raise their young family and start an organic farm business.
“We wanted to feed people and we couldn’t find farmland. After seven years, we finally planted our feet here,” Brown told THE EQUITY Thursday, the day after the consultation.
“We didn’t know about [the lines] going through the farm until someone came and knocked on our door yesterday and said, ‘Hey, it’s going through mine, I see it’s going through yours.’ We had a lot to discuss last night but in the end we were just heartbroken, was the only thing we could come up with.”
Brown said he understands this infrastructure upgrade is long overdue for the region, but says the current proposal for the route of the lines will have an impact on his business and the future he and his wife had imagined for themselves.
Brown and Darling have pasture-raised chickens, goats, cows, and pigs on their farm, and this year are starting a market garden.
“We are looking for more agritourism in the area,” Brown said. “We’ve been pushing to get approval to have camping, especially with the market garden being installed, but I know I wouldn’t want to camp there, with lack of aesthetics, and massive towers right above your head.”
He and Darling are but one of the many dozens of property owners who will be affected by these power lines. Last week, Hydro-Québec representatives still had a handful of landowners to meet with.
“It’s a public service, so the owner will not be richer, but our main concern is that they do not lose money,” said Benoit Charette, another Hydro-Québec representative.
Once the consultation period is over at the end of this year, the final plan will be announced, proper permits will be secured, and construction work is scheduled to begin in 2028.
