Newell Substation upgrade

Newell Substation, located at the corner of Kingsway and Griffith 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 three 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, 5.7 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. We'll determine their specific location as studies progress.

Most work will be within the substation fence. Some land outside the fence on the south side of the substation will be used to store materials during construction or for parking. During construction a walking path will be available but it may be located further south, closer to the sidewalk. 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 fence 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.

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.