Hydro to power down old infrastructure

Manitoba Hydro is promising fewer power outages in Winnipeg while it replaces or converts 41 electrical substations in a project the utility says will last up to 20 years and cost as much as $1.2 billion.

Peter Chura, a spokesman for the Crown corporation, said upgrades to the electrical distribution system will improve safety, reliability and resiliency, and reduce maintenance costs.

“We’ve been clear for a few years now that aging infrastructure is a challenge for the province going forward, so our programs like this are solving that problem incrementally,” he said Friday.

Many substations in Winnipeg are nearing the end of their service life or operating close to capacity, Hydro said.

The upgrades will increase capacity, said Craig Sambrooke, Hydro’s construction community liaison.

“It’s not just today, but it’s into the future as electrical demand from our various customers increases over the years,” he said.

Spring and summer storms resulted in many outages — some lasting days — in Winnipeg and other parts of Manitoba. Uprooted trees or fallen branches took out power lines in many cases.

“When a tree falls on a line it’s probably going to result in damage and probably a power outage no matter what, but more modern infrastructure will withstand damage a little bit better and be less complicated to repair,” Chura said.

In addition to aging infrastructure, Hydro is facing a debt of $26.5 billion and projecting a shortfall in firm electricity capacity, potentially reaching 600 megawatts, by the end of 2030.

After six weeks of hearings concluded in September, the corporation is waiting for the Public Utilities Board to deliver recommendations on Hydro’s plans to generate more power, including three proposed natural gas-powered turbines in Brandon at an estimated cost of $3 billion. Other plans include Indigenous-led wind farms.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala said Thursday the government expects to receive the PUB’s report in the next month to two months.

Hydro is also searching for a new CEO, after Allan Danroth departed in August after two years on the job. Hydro said he left for personal reasons.

The cost of the substation upgrades is expected to be between $600 million and $1.2 billion.

As for whether the cost could influence Hydro rates, which are set by the Public Utilities Board, Chura said the work is being done within existing budgets.

Chura and Sambrooke spoke to reporters while crews worked on new poles, power lines and other equipment on Sargent Avenue, west of Berry Street.

About 320 poles and related equipment are being replaced in the area as part of the decommissioning of a substation on Berry.

The equipment will be compatible with a newer substation on Madison Street, which uses a higher voltage and will take over the electrical load for the area.

Some equipment in and around Manitoba Hydro’s substations was installed in the 1960s.

Similar modernization work will take place in and around substations across the city over the next 15 to 20 years. One substation in Brandon will also undergo improvements.

Residents can expect temporary power outages — possibly lasting a few hours, Chura said — and lane closures while crews install new equipment and transfer electrical loads from an old system to a new one.

Chura said customers will be notified of temporary outages via the contact information listed in their Hydro accounts.

Sambrooke said Hydro will co-ordinate with health-care facilities and large commercial or industrial power users to help them prepare for temporary outages and minimize impacts. Some have backup generators.

Hydro began decommissioning the Berry Street substation a couple years ago, Chura said. The work is expected to wrap up next spring.

The Notre Dame substation, in service since 1964, will be decommissioned to transfer service to a newer facility on McPhillips Street.

The three-year project will replace about 600 poles, 200 transformers, 25 kilometres of overhead power line and up to 1.5 km of underground cable.

The existing substation serves about 930 residential, 360 commercial and 40 industrial customers in the Omand’s Creek, Brooklands and St James areas.

Hydro completed work at its University and De Bourmont substations in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The Crown corporation has about 300 substations in Manitoba, including about 100 in Winnipeg. They connect high-voltage transmission lines to the local distribution network that serves homes and businesses.

Decommissioned sites could be sold, Chura said.

chris.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com