Over the next 15 years or more, we’re replacing or converting 41 electrical substations in the city of Winnipeg for the reliable distribution of power. Areas served by each substation will experience fewer outages and have more room for electrical growth when each station is finished. The work may require replacing much of the area’s overhead and underground electrical infrastructure and require localized power outages and road closures, so we want to keep each neighbourhood informed.
Wherever possible, we’ll work on multiple stations at a time to maximize efficiency.
The work is expected to cost between $600 million and $1.2 billion.
Substations are the second-last step of electricity’s journey to get to your home or business. Substations take higher voltage power from transmission lines and step it down to be distributed in localized areas. They can also switch lines on and off and analyze and measure electricity. Read more about where electricity comes from.
There are substations all over the province, with more than 100 in Winnipeg alone. About a third of those need to be replaced or refurbished and that’s what we’re doing over the next 15-20 years.
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Types of work
There are two different types of work involved: replacement and conversions.
Substation refurbishment
This work involves upgrading equipment within a station. You may see vehicles and workers inside the station and parts moving in and out, but it probably won’t affect you much.
Substation conversion
This work is done when a station is decommissioned and the electrical load from that area is served by another (typically newer) station. This work has the potential to be more visible to you. It requires upgrading old equipment such as lines, poles and transformers to connect to the new stations. Putting in new equipment requires power outages and may require road closures to operate large equipment in tight spaces.
We’ll post about road closures and other area disruptions and you’ll be able to subscribe for updates.
Both replaced and converted stations will lead to fewer outages and more room for growth in your area.
Why we’re doing substation renewal work
Winnipeg is growing and so is its electricity demand. More devices, more electric vehicles, and more heat pumps are all hallmarks of the energy transition and they mean electrical needs in Winnipeg are growing. We’re preparing for changes in how energy is delivered and used in Manitoba so we can continue to meet customers’ evolving energy needs safely, efficiently and affordably.
Many of the substations serving Winnipeg are running at, or close to, their capacity. Some of the equipment is several decades old, with many stations running well past their useful life and becoming unreliable and unsafe to work on.
Doing substation renewal work means the risk of outages in an area decreases and the new equipment will be safer, require less maintenance and be less costly to operate.