West End Substation

What's new

Our spring 2018 community consultation is now complete. Thank you to those who participated and provided feedback. Our Community Consultation Report [PDF, 5.7 MB] presenting the feedback collected from May 1-31, 2018 is now available as well as our Community Consultation Response Memo [PDF, 2.7 MB], which includes our response to some of the key themes we heard through the community consultation process.

We're proposing an underground substation in your neighbourhood

It's our job to ensure people in downtown Vancouver continue to have access to reliable power. We're providing the clean, renewable power Vancouver needs, but our electricity system serving downtown is aging and needs upgrades. A new substation in the West End is needed to replace Dal Grauer Substation on Burrard Street.

We're working with the Vancouver School Board (VSB) to revisit our proposal of a new West End Substation underground at the Lord Roberts Annex property.

If our proposal is accepted, it will provide VSB with funding to build a new Coal Harbour School sooner, ensuring additional school spaces for West End families. At the Lord Roberts Annex property, it will result in an out-of-sight underground substation topped by an artificial turf playing field, and allow for construction of a new, adjacent elementary school after the substation is complete.

For more detailed information about our proposal, have a look at the Spring 2018 Discussion Guide [PDF, 2.8 MB].

Map of details involving the West End Substation Project

What's happening

Our spring 2018 community consultation is now complete. Thank you to those who participated and provided feedback. Our Community Consultation Report [PDF, 5.2 MB], presenting the feedback collected from May 1-31, 2018 is now available as well as our Community Consultation Response Memo [PDF, 2.4 MB], which includes our response to some of the key themes that we heard through the community consultation process.

This report will be shared with the Vancouver Board of Education (VSB elected Trustees) to inform their decision on our proposal for the Lord Roberts Annex property, along with feedback collected through VSB's own consultation.

If the Vancouver Board of Education accepts our proposal, the consultation results will be used to inform our next steps on this project where there would be many future community consultation opportunities. We're also consulting with the Vancouver Park Board and City of Vancouver. Future community consultation would also include City and Park Board-led consultation to further explore impacts of underground power lines through Nelson Park.

Why we're doing it

Our electricity system in downtown Vancouver is aging and needs upgrades. A new substation in the West End is needed to replace Dal Grauer Substation to ensure our customers in downtown Vancouver continue to have access to reliable power.

Our traditional approach to developing new substations is to determine where they're needed, search for appropriate sites, and then build them above-ground. We all know downtown land is scarce and expensive – over the last year, we've explored all available options for a new substation in the West End, which would take up almost half a city block if it were built above-ground. Most suitable and available properties in the West End are currently being used for housing which would need to be removed if purchased for a future West End Substation. If we bought a private property, we'd follow our traditional approach of building an above-ground substation as the cost of private land would make undergrounding the substation cost-prohibitive.

If our proposal at Lord Roberts Annex is approved, it would allow us to transfer our property purchase funds to the VSB to be used on schools, rather than a private property owner. It will eliminate the need to purchase private property and potentially take away housing stock from the area, and result in an out-of-sight underground substation while providing significant funding to the downtown Vancouver school community. This is why we've proposed this as providing the best outcome for our customers and the West End community.

Reports & documents

Spring 2018 consultation materials

May 1-31, 2018 Community Consultation Report – issued June 15, 2018 [PDF, 5.7 MB]
Community Consultation Response Memo – issued June 15, 2018 [PDF, 2.4 MB]
West End Substation – Spring 2018 Discussion Guide [PDF, 2.8 MB]
West End Substation – 2018 Spring Open House Story Boards [PDF, 2.7 MB]
West End Substation – EMF information sheet [PDF, 101 KB]

2017 Reference materials

2017 Stantec preliminary technical, environmental, and socio-economic study

Stantec, an internationally-recognized independent consulting firm, completed a preliminary study looking at our proposal for the Lord Roberts Annex property. This study looked at Nelson Park/Lord Roberts Annex as well as Emery Barnes Park as potential sites for underground substation construction. While Emery Barnes Park is not part of this consultation, or a property BC Hydro is currently pursuing as a substation site, the portion of the study pertaining to Nelson Park/Lord Roberts Annex is still applicable.