Newell Substation upgrade
We're upgrading Newell Substation to improve reliability, address safety risks, and meet projected load growth. This will allow us to continue to provide reliable electricity to about 59,000 homes and businesses in southern Burnaby as well as to other substations.
What's new
Civil construction contract awarded
We have awarded the civil construction contract for general contracting including building the new feeder building and associated project upgrades to Graham Construction & Engineering Inc.
Graham is a long-standing Canadian company with over a century of experience, brings extensive experience in delivering complex infrastructure and industrial projects, with a well-established record in quality, safety, and performance. With an established presence across British Columbia – including major projects throughout the Lower Mainland and a longstanding Vancouver office – Graham has helped shape critical infrastructure and community assets across the province.
Our Capital Construction team will continue to provide leadership on this initiative, working in close partnership with Graham to deliver this important system upgrade project.
Learn more about Graham on their website.
Site preparation work continues
Installation of the panels for the new retaining wall continues onsite and work on underground utilities installations inside the substation is underway.
All work is planned to take place during regular daytime working hours. Should there be any changes to the schedule or extension to the work hours, we’ll notify the community in advance of the changes.
Newell Substation, located at the corner of Kingsway and Griffiths Drive in Burnaby, was built in stages from 1946 to 1955. The substation has been operating reliably for almost 70 years. Newell Substation is connected to seven other substations and serves about 59,000 customers (about 66% residential, 24% commercial, and 11% industrial). The substation takes high-voltage electricity from transmission lines and converts it to the voltages needed to supply power to customers.
We're planning to remove old outdoor equipment that's in poor condition (labelled Feeder Section to be removed in the figure below) and replace it with modern equipment housed in a new feeder building. We'll also replace one of five transformers at the substation as it's reaching end-of-life and make required upgrades to other equipment at site.
Newell Substation upgrade project map
Select the project map [PDF, 818 MB] to view it at a larger size.
We'll also install underground infrastructure in Griffiths Drive to the east of the new feeder building and interconnect with existing infrastructure north of the site fence along Kingsway. We'll determine the specific location of the infrastructure and interconnections as studies progress.
Some land outside the fence on the south side of the substation will be used for contractor parking and work zone. During construction a walking path will be available but it will be located further south, closer to the road. After the upgrades are complete, we'll restore the sites not needed for future project work.
These upgrades will ensure that Newell Substation can continue to provide reliable electricity supply to residents, businesses, and other substations.
New feeder building
The new feeder building will be located on the northeast corner of the substation site (see figure above). This location was selected after considering:
- Safety
- Constructability
- Ability to connect to existing equipment
- Environment
- Community impacts
- Cost
Locating the building on the northeast corner:
- Keeps the building within the existing property line,
- Doesn't have permanent impacts to the greenspace south of the fence line,
- Is further from residences, and
- Is more cost effective.
Design of the new building is underway and current renderings are shown below.
Rendering of the feeder building.
Rendering of the site looking northwest.
Rendering of the street view on Kingsway in Burnaby.
| Key dates | Activity |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Vegetation removal. |
| Fall 2025 | Site preparation begins with bumping out the retaining wall in the northeast corner. |
| Summer/fall 2026 | Construction begins for the new feeder building. |
| Summer/fall 2026 | New transformer installation. |
| Fall/winter 2031 | Expected project in-service and removal of old feeder section begins. |
| Fall/winter 2032 | Expected project completion. |
The schedule will be updated and additional detail will be available as the project advances.
This upgrade will provide increased reliability to the electrical system, replace aging equipment that's nearing end-of-life, and help more of the community switch from fossil fuels to electricity. It will ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of the substation's service area and prepare for future growth in the area.
Reports and documents
- Open house presentation – January 2025 [PDF, 796 KB]
- Open house presentation – February 2024 [PDF, 616 KB]
- Newell substation project map [PDF, 5.7 MB]
Get in touch
If you'd like to share your feedback about the project or have any questions, please connect with us.
Email: projects@bchydro.com
Phone: 604 623 4472
Toll free: 1 866 647 3334