Out with the old, in with the new

Replacing hydro poles

This article was published in February 2023 and may be outdated.

Three Hydro workers preparing to hoist a hydro pole.

Preparing to hoist a pole.

Enlarge image: Three Hydro workers preparing to hoist a hydro pole.

Replacing a substation is no small feat. Part of the process involves upgrading the aging infrastructure connected to the system. Working through the cold, Operator Driver, Lonnie Breland and his crew are replacing the old poles as part of the Dawson Road station replacement project. The project will improve reliability in the area and reduce the time required to restore power in an outage.

A traffic controller stops traffic while the crew sets a hydro pole.

A traffic controller stops traffic while the crew sets a hydro pole on Dawson Road.

Enlarge image: A traffic controller stops traffic while the crew sets a hydro pole. .

“Basically, what we’re doing is upgrading the system. A lot of these poles are end-of-life,” says Lonnie, “…this project is about adding reliability.” With the help of a digger derrick truck, the crew has a pole set within 20 minutes, and they’re on to the next.

Many of the hydro poles throughout St. Boniface’s Mission Industrial neighbourhood were installed back when the Dawson station was built in the 1940s.

Consistent load growth in the area, combined with old equipment, means the upgrade is necessary from both a reliability and planning perspective. In addition to replacing old wood poles, this project includes re-stringing lines, replacing transformers, burying some lines, and — eventually — decommissioning and salvaging Dawson Road station.

Watch the video to see our crews install these wooden giants.