Manitoba could attract very large data centres, but it is not a ready-made power haven. Manitoba Hydro requires a feasibility assessment for large-supply requests above 5 MW, the utility says new electricity sources are needed by 2030, and planned additions are subject to planning and regulatory review. A provincial levy framework may also affect costs. The available official information does not establish that any specific hyperscale project has secured power or that spare capacity is available on demand.
Why Manitoba is on the data-centre map—and why power is the test
Data centres need more than a suitable site: they need a large, reliable electricity supply that can be delivered on a workable schedule and at a known cost. Manitoba Hydro’s 2025 integrated resource plan says new electricity sources are needed by 2030 as demand grows while supply is limited. That makes the province’s power plans relevant to prospective operators, but a resource plan is not a service commitment to an individual customer.
Manitoba Hydro’s public integrated resource plan page was updated July 7, 2026. It describes a high-level, 10-year roadmap that weighs reliability, cost, environmental considerations and socio-economic impacts. Its recommended actions include the following:
| Plan item | Figure or target | What the figure establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous-majority-owned wind procurement | Up to 600 MW | A recommended procurement amount, not operating capacity reserved for a data centre. |
| Natural-gas combustion turbines | Approximately 750 MW | A planned resource addition; it does not by itself establish construction, operation or customer allocation. |
| Efficiency and demand-response programs | Approximately 860 MW of peak-demand reduction by 2035 | The Government of Manitoba’s May 4, 2026 stated expectation for proposed investments, not generation capacity already delivered. |
| Battery project | 5 MW | A targeted proposed infrastructure addition, not evidence of a large customer’s supply approval. |
The resource plan also identifies generating-asset upgrades and efficiency programming. These measures address the system-wide balance between supply and demand; they do not show that Manitoba has an immediately available block of power for a proposed facility.
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What a data-centre applicant must clear
Statutory changes effective September 1, 2025 set new parameters for Manitoba Hydro large-supply requests above 5 MW. The threshold is a service-review gate, not a promise that a project of that size—or a much larger one—will be served.
Manitoba Hydro says it must refuse requests for uses prescribed as ineligible, including cryptocurrency mining. It must also deny a large request when supply is not reasonably feasible in light of the utility’s capacity and the effects on the provincial grid, or when applicable regulatory requirements are unmet. In practice, a site proposal must be assessed against the grid and the rules in force, rather than assuming that a requested megawatt figure can simply be purchased.
The application asks for more than the project’s peak demand. Manitoba Hydro requests information on:
- Strategies to minimize energy use.
- Projected construction and full-production employment.
- Economic and socio-economic effects, including Indigenous involvement.
- Environmental impacts.
Those items make efficiency, grid impacts and local outcomes part of the application picture—not just the scale of the proposed investment.
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Planned supply is not the same as approved, deliverable power
The Government of Manitoba announced on May 4, 2026 that the proposed 750 MW dual-fuel turbine facility in Brandon had been referred to the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The board’s review was to examine the need for the facility, alternatives and possible effects on electricity rates before cabinet considers final decisions. The government also described the resource additions and demand-reduction measures as proposals or expected outcomes.
The PUB proceeding page records the integrated resource plan filing on February 2, 2026 and the Major New Facilities filing on April 29, 2026. It lists hearing dates from July 27 through September 4, 2026, and an exhibit list updated September 8, 2026. That record documents the review timeline; it is not itself a final approval. The official information described here does not establish that the Brandon facility is operating or that a particular data-centre project has an approved power allocation.
How the electricity levy could affect costs
Bill 39 establishes a levy framework for cryptocurrency operations, large data centres and certain other high-demand electricity uses. The legislative record for the April 22, 2026 committee hearing describes separate customer classes and rates to be set by regulation. Under the statute, if no rate is prescribed, the default is 100% of the applicable monthly energy charge per kWh and 100% of the monthly demand charge per kVA for the equivalent General Service rate schedule.
That statutory default is not a project-specific electricity quote. A prospective customer’s actual cost depends on the applicable rate treatment and regulations, as well as its energy and demand charges and any system costs it must bear. The current commencement and regulations should be checked before estimating a project bill; the framework alone does not establish a final data-centre rate.
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At the April 22, 2026 committee hearing, Manitoba Finance Minister and minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro Adrien Sala said: “The revenue from this levy is retained by Manitoba Hydro, not government, and is used to support the work Hydro must do to build new capacity, refurbish infrastructure and maintain system reliability.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—established about specific projects
The official material described here establishes a large-supply application process, system planning and a levy framework. It does not establish a named hyperscale facility’s site approval, power-service approval, water plan, job count, investment amount or construction schedule. Nor does it provide a like-for-like comparison with competing jurisdictions on electricity prices, permitting speed, taxes or total project economics.
For an operator evaluating Manitoba, the useful questions are project-specific:
- Power access: How many megawatts are requested, is service feasible, what grid impacts are identified, and when could an interconnection be delivered?
- Supply and approvals: Which proposed resources are built and approved, and what decisions remain in the PUB and cabinet process?
- Customer cost: Which rate class and levy regulations apply, how are demand charges treated, and who pays for required system work?
- Local effects: What jobs, Indigenous participation, economic and environmental impacts, and energy-efficiency measures are documented in the application?
Until those questions are answered for a specific project, Manitoba is best understood as a conditional opportunity: its plans point to substantial system changes, while the route to service and the ultimate cost remain dependent on feasibility, approvals and applicable rates.
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