Sault Ste. Marie — The Sault's utility company is ending the year on a high, with a massive new power project for the city's west end.
The PUC's $100 million project will see the company build transmission facilities in the west end of the city, helping to power Algoma Steel's new $700 million electric-arc furnaces project, announced earlier this year.
"The electric-arc furnaces will need about 300 megawatts of power to operate," said Robert Brewer, president and CEO of PUC Services.
"If you take that into context, we're at about 120 megawatts at peak, so just those two electric-arc furnaces are about two and a half times the load of the entire city."
The electric-arc furnaces project will help Algoma Steel in its effort to reduce its carbon footprint by 70 per cent. Besides that, Brewer said helping make such an important project a reality will do wonders for the city's economy.
"This is a project that will help bring further opportunity to the west end of the city," he said. "Businesses associated with steel making, once Algoma Steel makes its transition, may end up co-locating."
Mayor Christian Provenzano said it's another step that will see the Sault march towards becoming a true environmental leader and he's encouraged by the partnership between Algoma Steel and the PUC.
"We're trying to lessen our footprint, so we wanted to do everything within our power and authority that we can supporting this project, (since it's) very helpful in that respect," Provenzano said.
"I think it's really positive that we're finding ways as a municipality to maximize the value of our utility."
Provenzano also points towards the PUC's efforts to implement a smart-grid system for the city.
"That will also help with our use of electricity, so we're taking a lot of steps to be an innovative municipality," he added.
"We set out over a number of years ago to really drive change and transform through the PUC. This is a great example -- smart grid is a great example."
Construction on the PUC project is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.
