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GLOBAL RENEWABLES ONLINE - JANUARY 2012
GREAT LAKES
POWER
TRANSMISSION
—
CONTINUING A LEGACY OF
HEALTH, SAFETY, AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
ACCOUNTABILITY
I
N NORTHERN ONTAR IO,
ac-
cess to reliable power is criti-
cal, for major cities and the smaller
communities that are part of the
cultural makeup of the province.
Great Lakes Power Transmission
(GLPT) is the key component of
Ontario’s northern transmission
system, connecting the northern
and southern regions of Ontario.
The organization is owned by Brook-
field Infrastructure Partners under
Brookfield Asset Management.
Brookfield Asset Management man-
ages approximately $95 billion in
infrastructure assets. Great Lakes
Power Transmission is regulated by
the Ontario Energy Board and the
Independent Electricity System
Operator, and manages 550 km of
44kV to 230 kV transmission lines,
steel towers, wood poles, and sub-
stations. The company is “proud to
be the transmission company serv-
ing Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada
and the local region.”
Steve McClinchey, who started
with Great Lakes Power in 1996,
has worked in various departments
for the company over the years, and
is an authority on the company’s
health, safety, and environment
policies. McClinchey says that the
deregulation of Ontario changed the
original structure of Great Lakes
Power, but that the root community
support and structure of the
company has remained unchanged
since GLPT began decades ago. The
company serves a very diverse re-
gion, and is committed to offering
unparalleled support to its custom-
ers. “Our transmission systemspans
550 km from Thessalon to Wawa.
Northern Ontario is all about dis-
tance. The challenging, rugged ter-
rain reaches into very remote areas,
which poses some challenges in
terms of conducting tests on cir-
cuits,” McClinchey explains. How-
ever, the company has many years
of experience in power service, and
operates to the highest standards of
health and safety. Staff are trained
to keep things running in the tough-
est conditions.
COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT
“The original Great Lakes Power
company has served as a model for
some of the other Brookfield power
companies on the electricity genera-
tion side. This is because we have
some of the best health safety and
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT - GREAT LAKES POWER