Today, we energized the Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project three months ahead of schedule, on-budget and with an impeccable safety record. This 508-km transmission line, valued at $1.6 billion running from Wabamun, Alta., just west of Edmonton, to Fort McMurray will provide essential electricity, greater reliability and enhance the transmission system to meet growing demands of our customers in northern Alberta.

At ATCO, we are proud of our ability to compete against global competitors and win the bid for this critical piece of transmission infrastructure, along with our partner Quanta Services.  We take pride in the genuine, heartfelt engagement and trust that we have built with all communities and indigenous people along the route. The success of this project would not have been possible without these strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

Throughout the project we prioritized meaningful community engagement. We held more than 3,000 face-to-face meetings, engaging with people in an open, transparent and honest manner and incorporating the feedback into our route and construction plans. Alberta PowerLine also undertook extensive consultation with Indigenous communities and engaged them as active participants through significant contracts, which provided opportunities for employment, skills training and local economic development.

Our commitment is to conduct our business in a manner that reflects our values: integrity, transparency, entrepreneurship, perseverance, accountability, collaboration and caring. At each step of this project, we have worked hard to embody these values, successfully completing this project early, and on-budget.