Manitoba
Manitoba Hydro; Public Utilities Board regulates rates
Route to power. Ministerial priority ranking. Under M.R. 68/2025 the Minister ranks every request above 5 MW. A low-priority request waits behind all the others, and there is no appeal.
How you connect
Any request over 5 MW goes to Manitoba Hydro on its large power supply form. Manitoba Hydro checks that it is eligible and feasible, then the minister ranks it. Related projects are counted together if they are in substance one project.
Manitoba Hydro publishes only its study times: an evaluation study of 3 to 5 months, then a detailed engineering study of 6 to 8 months that you pay for. Timing after that depends on the project.
How the ranking works
Each request is ranked low, medium or high. A low-priority request is served in the order received, and only if serving it will not get in the way of higher-priority requests. The decision is the minister’s, and no allocated volume is published. New crypto mining connections are refused outright.
Your own power
Allowed, but the province can still say no. In June 2026 the Premier refused a hyperscale AI data centre near Île-des-Chênes that planned to run on its own gas turbines, citing the environment and little benefit to the economy.
Demand
By November 2025, Manitoba Hydro had 13 data centre requests under review, with at least one contract signed.
What it may cost
Bill 39, passed in June 2026 but not yet in force, puts a levy on data centres that need a large supply of power. Unless a rate is set by regulation, the levy equals the full energy and demand charge, which would roughly double the bill.
What has happened
Projects we track
| Project | Status | Announced | Energized | Target online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equinix WI1 Winnipeg | Operating | 8 MW | 8 MW | Not stated |
| Bell AI Fabric Rosser | Construction | 6 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Convergence Compute Campus | Not approved | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Announced is what the company has said it will build. Energized is what is drawing power today. This is the list of projects we follow, not every project in the province.
Updated 2026-09-23.