Tourism Winnipeg

12 2017-2018 INVESTOR DIRECTORY Manitoba's biggest business development news of 2017 comes from French company Roquette, which will be opening the world's largest pea-processing plant in Portage la Prairie. Expected to employ 150 full-time workers, Manitoba Hydro is excited to see this $400-million facility built in Manitoba, further strengthening the province's burgeoning food-processing industry. Manitoba Hydro was proud to play a role in helping the company make its initial decision to build a future in Manitoba, and the corporation will continue to support Roquette (and all of its other business customers) with affordable, renewable and reliable energy. A critical contributor to keeping costs down for Manitoba Hydro's domestic customers involves exports facilitated through participation in wholesale markets in Canada and the United States. Export revenues accounted for more than 25 per cent of Manitoba Hydro's total electric revenue over the 10-year period spanning 2007 to 2016. Without export revenues, all costs associated with the utility would need to be covered by Manitoba customers. Manitoba Hydro's largest export market is the U.S. Midwest, where utilities are increasingly looking to de-carbonize their electrical generation sources. Hydroelectricity from Manitoba provides U.S. utilities with the opportunity to 'back up' their resources with an always-available renewable energy supply. In addition, the fact that seasonal demand for electricity in the U.S. is opposite to Manitoba (U.S. demand peaks in the summer whereas demand here spikes in the winter) means Manitoba Hydro is well-positioned to continue offsetting local energy costs with income generated from these out-of-area sales. Meeting Manitoba's current and future energy needs requires investment in new capacity and transmission, coupled with reinvestment to upgrade and replace existing infrastructure. These efforts are being paired with an even greater focus on the customer. Offering innovative technology solutions and financing options—and providing expert advice to minimize energy consumption and costs—can help businesses of all sizes stay competitive from right here at home, no matter what markets are served worldwide. A GOVERNMENT OF Manitoba Crown corporation with a mandate to provide continuous, reliable and economical energy to Manitobans, Manitoba Hydro's capital assets currently total $22.3 billion, making it one of the largest energy utilities in Canada. The utility currently has over 573,000 electricity customers provincewide. It is also the major distributor of natural gas in the province, serving almost 280,000 customers in 130 communities across southern Manitoba. Providing reliable, competitively priced energy is how Manitoba Hydro helps keep the wheels of commerce moving in Manitoba. To appreciate Manitoba Hydro's clear benefit to the business community, consider this: almost all of the corporation's electricity— about 97 per cent—is generated from self-renewing water power using 15 hydroelectric generating stations located primarily on the Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Nelson rivers. This access to clean, environmentally friendly hydroelectricity means Manitoba's carbon footprint is minimal, an increasingly important consideration for residential, commercial and industrial customers alike. Manitoba Hydro keeps businesses competitive in the global marketplace by helping optimize customers' use of electricity and natural gas within their own facilities. Manitoba Hydro's experts are available to give businesses an edge, whether in energy management, power quality, interpreting transformer oil laboratory results or other areas. Various programs and incentives designed to encourage energy-efficient upgrades, innovative energy solutions and alternative energy applications are helping businesses control their energy costs in a world where every dollar counts. Powering Industry MAN ITO BA H Y D RO "Manitoba Hydro is committed to ensuring our domestic customers will continue to benefit from our focus on self-renewing water power. In addition to its minimal environmental impact, hydroelectricity offers a predictable, sustainable model that drives costs down locally while offering a persuasive value proposition to our export markets in Canada and the U.S." Kelvin Shepherd, President & CEO

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