Spotlight on employee Ginny Ly of Project Services
It’s not often one gets the opportunity to live in a remote campsite some 900 kilometres away from home to help build new hydroelectric generating stations.
But for Ginny Ly, that’s just another day at the office.
Ly joined the Lower Mattagami River Project in northern Ontario as a Cost and Schedule Analyst in 2010 and expanded her role over the years.
When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m part of a team that builds hydro plants. That’s pretty cool.Ginny Ly, Acting Manage of Project Services
The $2.6-billion redevelopment project, a partnership with Moose Cree First Nation, was completed in 2015 and brought on 438 megawatts of new hydroelectric capacity. Generating units were added to existing stations at Little Long, Harmon and Kipling, and a new three-unit plant at Smoky Falls was built to replace the existing 83-year-old facility.
Ly was involved with supporting the project team, helping to scope out planning and execution, and working on cost control and risk management. She was also one of the few who jumped at the chance to work at the campsite an hour north of Kapuskasing on a weekly rotation.
It was something she will never forget.
“It was the best experience I had,” said Ly, who has been with OPG for nine years. “And that’s what drove me to really improve myself and continue my development.”
She worked 12-hour days at the 1,100-person site and endured temperatures as low as -40 C. But it was all worth it to see the construction up close. While at the site, she worked closely with the design-build contractor to ensure the project stayed on budget and on schedule.
It's pretty fulfilling just being part of constructing a new facility that’s going to provide electricity for the next 100 years. It’s something I’m really proud of and hopefully, I can tell my kids or my grandkids one day that I was involved with this.Ginny Ly, Acting Manager of Project Services
Today, Ly is still involved with new hydroelectric developments. Now serving as Acting Manager of Project Services for Renewable Generation and Power Marketing, Ly is supporting projects like the Pump Generating Station reservoir refurbishment in Niagara Falls and construction of the new Peter Sutherland Sr. Generating Station (GS) on the New Post Creek.
The latter project has been especially fulfilling because of the First Nation partnership, Ly said. In 2015, OPG and Coral Rapids Power, a wholly-owned company of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation, began construction on the 28 MW station. Peter Sutherland Sr. GS is expected to be in service ahead of schedule and will provide clean, renewable hydroelectric power for up to 25,000 homes. In working closely with Coral Rapids Power, Ly said she hopes to pass on her knowledge so that the company can manage a new development on their own.
It’s an aspect she is embracing in her new role, which involves managing other people. She says this new job involves a different focus. “Now, it’s all about the people that work for me. It’s about building their capacity and supporting their goals,” Ly said. “It’s about improving their project management and project controls so we can align with project excellence.”
Employee spotlight: Ginny Ly
Position: Acting Manager of Project Services
Work location: RGPM Project Management Office
Years of service: 9
Favourite spot to visit in Ontario: Frontenac Provincial Park
Favourite movie: Deadpool
Favourite weekend activity: “Spending time by Lake Ontario with my dog.”
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