By Alexander Lavoie
Effective September 1, 2025, rural communities may have a clearer pathway to securing power for developments that align with local priorities.
Manitoba has made a major shift in how major electricity connections are assessed and prioritized. With the enactment of Bill 28, The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act, large supply requests are no longer processed strictly in the order they arrive. Instead, after Manitoba Hydro screens for feasibility and regulatory eligibility, the minister must designate the requested use of power as being a low, medium or high priority based on the factors set out in the Schedule to the Requests for Service Regulation(below).
What Constitutes a Large Supply and How Related Projects Are Treated
The Act defines a large supply as a request that exceeds 5 megawatts. The regulation clarifies when separate facilities will be treated as related projects for the purpose of determining whether the combined load crosses that threshold. Framing multi-phase or campus-style developments as a single undertaking when they are, in reality, one project aligns submissions with the way Manitoba Hydro and the minister will assess cumulative load. For rural Manitoba, this means that multi-phase agricultural, industrial, or community developments may be assessed as a single project if they share infrastructure or purpose.
Other Notable Changes
The Act and regulation require Manitoba Hydro to deny ineligible uses of large supplies of power that are not reasonably feasible considering utility capacity and grid impact. It also identifies ineligible uses, including any request directly or indirectly related to cryptocurrency mining (of which Manitoba has 37), although, a Manitoba government directive has been in effect since 2024.
Application Pathway
For intake details, timelines, and document requirements, the Manitoba Hydro commercial service portal provides a step-by-step guide and online application. Refer to: https://www.hydro.mb.ca/service/connections/commercial/.
What does this mean for Rural Manitoba?
For Rural Manitoba, businesses and economic developers may be familiar with the historic application process that were often queued on a first-come, first-serve basis, competing with urban and industrial developments for access to grid capacity. Now, projects that demonstrate strong alignment with the priority factors like employment, social impacts for Indigenous and rural communities, and alignment with provincial strategies can be elevated in priority.
Requests for Service Regulation (M.R. 68/2025) – Schedule (Section 7) – Priority Factors
| Factor | Considerations |
| The impact on grid reliability and capacity | The customer’s plans include self-supply of power. |
| The customer’s plans include on-site or grid-connected power storage. | |
| The customer’s openness to curtailable rates. | |
| The customer’s use of energy efficiency measures. | |
| The general amount of power required and how the power is used. | |
| The measures to avoid grid dependence during peak usage periods, and whether the supply of power may be interrupted during peak usage periods. | |
| The requested supply of power requires upgrades to transmission or distribution systems. | |
| The timing of the project. | |
| Any other technical concerns or considerations. | |
| Impact on Manitoba’s economy | The number of Manitobans employed to construct the facility for which a request for a large supply of power was made. |
| The number of Manitobans employed to operate the facility for which a request for a large supply of power was made. | |
| The number of Manitobans employed by the customer other than those employed in respect of the project for which the large supply of power is requested. | |
| The efforts to be taken to train Manitobans to be employed by the customer. | |
| Details on wage levels, and engagement of Manitobaok, it s contractors. | |
| The anticipated effects of the project on local employment and wage growth, including employment rates and median remuneration within the region where the project is situated. | |
| Capital and operational inputs from Manitoba suppliers. | |
| Expenditures on infrastructure, equipment and services in Manitoba. | |
| Expenditures in Manitoba for research, product development and sovereign artificial intelligence data computing activities. | |
| The involvement of Manitoba value-added production. | |
| The particular effects within the region in which the project is located. | |
| The effect of the large supply of power on Manitoba GDP. | |
| Any grants or government assistance from the government of Manitoba for the project. | |
| The impact of the large supply of power on the environment | The contributions to decarbonization. |
| The impact on emissions resulting from the large supply of power. | |
| Social impacts | Alignment with goals outlined in government strategies. |
| Effect on indigenous and rural communities. | |
| The customer’s business | The customer’s readiness to complete the project including the availability of financing. |
| The large supply of power’s impact on the customer’s business and profitability. |
Sources:
Requests for Service Regulation, M.R. 68/2025 (accessed: September 2, 2025)
A Directive to Manitoba Hydro Electric Board Respecting Electric Service to Cryptocurrency Operations (accessed: September 2, 2025)
Manitoba Hydro – How to Apply for Commercial Service (accessed: September 2, 2025)