reliability and additional transformation capacity.” When prompted about ongoing engineering work, Mantha reflects on the enduring nature of the company’s plants. “These facilities are century-old assets, the oldest built in 1906 and the newest in 1925. We’ve invested substantially over the years, including a major $130 million upgrade from 2011 to 2021.” STRATEGIC PROJECTS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS FirstLight Power’s strategic expansion into Canada via acquiring Hydromega Services signifies its growth and ambition in the renewable energy sector. Hydromega, with its aggressive growth portfolio, opened many opportunities for FirstLight in Ontario and Quebec, particularly in wind, solar, and battery systems. Mantha elaborates on this, highlighting the longer timelines associated with hydro development compared to the shorter timelines for solar and wind projects. northwestern Ontario, near Atikokan, Fort Frances, and Kenora, adding up to 50MW.” Mantha describes the upgrades and expansions that have marked the company’s journey. “When we were spun off as Abitibi-Consolidated Hydro, our first large project was a substantial controls upgrade for all facilities and establishing our control center in Oshawa. After rebranding as H2O in 2011, we initiated a significant turbine and generator refurbishment program.” He emphasizes the scale of these upgrades, stating, “Our initial capacity in 2007 was 131MW. Through extensive upgrades, we increased this to 151MW—a 12% boost in capacity over a decade. This not only enhanced our energy output but also improved efficiency.” The latest significant project completely reconfigured its high voltage substation near Iroquois Falls. “From 2021 through 2023, we retired some wellused transformers and switchgear, upgrading to add 6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 08
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