Hydro-Québec launches work on the new Côte Saint-Luc substation

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 5, 2026 /CNW/ - Hydro-Québec is announcing that the company will intensify preparatory work and launch the construction of a new electrical substation in Côte Saint-Luc. This major project, which includes an 18-km transmission line to supply the substation, represents an investment of $740 million. It will improve service quality and increase the power system capacity for Côte Saint-Luc, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Hampstead and Montréal-Ouest.

Hydro-Québec began work on this project in 2018. Following a broad public consultation, the project was optimized to take into account proposals from local stakeholders. We expect to receive the last required governmental authorizations shortly.

The project includes the following elements:

• Construction of Côte Saint-Luc substation starting in June
• Construction of an 18-km long 315-kV line
• Upgrading of the distribution system to a higher voltage with work being done in parallel that will intensify over the coming months 

Our crews are hard at work building the distribution encasements around the future substation site. We will also be dismantling a tower and part of a 120-kV line that is unused. This preparatory work will ramp up until construction of the substation begins in June, with commissioning slated for 2029.

In addition, Hydro-Québec will accelerate the upgrading of the distribution system in Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montréal-Ouest and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. We're already at work: Given the recent outages, we have increased the capacity of two distribution lines. We have also finished replacing a power transformer at Hampstead substation.

The intensification and acceleration of work to commission Côte Saint-Luc substation would not be possible without the valuable collaboration of our partners and the public. Several construction sites will be launched, and our business and institutional customers will be called upon to convert their electrical systems to a higher voltage. Our project team will stay in contact with community stakeholders to keep them abreast of information about construction and to take into account local realities throughout the process.

With everyone's cooperation, we will be able to provide a new power system in the sector to support growth and improve service quality.

Quotes

"Service reliability is our priority, and we know that it is a priority for our customers, too. We are here for you. Between now and 2035, Hydro-Québec will invest more than $5 billion to improve service quality on the island of Montréal. We are currently upgrading the capacity of the city's substations and distribution lines so that every neighbourhood will benefit from a modern and robust electrical infrastructure for decades to come. Now, more than ever, the support of our partners and host communities is essential to the completion of this major project."

-- Maxime Nadeau, Senior Director – Power System Operations, Hydro-Québec

"Following the recent outages that severely affected our citizens, we welcome Hydro-Québec's acceleration of this essential work. Côte Saint-Luc is preparing to enter a significant growth phase, with several residential redevelopment projects over the next decade: it is essential that we have the electrical capacity to support this expansion. Although this large-scale project will require patience, modernization of the grid is an absolute necessity to ensure long-term service reliability. We will be closely monitoring Hydro-Québec to ensure that it minimizes the impacts on our current residents' quality of life during this transition."

-- David Tordjman, Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc

"The prolonged power outages at the end of January were extremely difficult for many residents of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. We are relieved to see that Hydro-Québec recognizes the urgency of the situation and is committed to taking swift action at Hampstead substation. This work is an important step toward reducing the frequency and duration of outages and, above all, providing residents with a more reliable power grid, which is essential to their safety and quality of life."

-- Sonny Moroz, Acting Mayor of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

"Montréal-Ouest warmly welcomes the acceleration of work on Hydro-Québec's new substation serving our population. After the long power outage that affected most residents in the northern part of our city, this announcement is a sign of better service quality, collaboration and communication between Hydro-Québec and the cities supplied by this substation."

-- Jonathan Cha, Mayor of Montréal-Ouest

"Modernizing the power grid is essential to meeting the sustained growth in energy demand and ensuring the resilience of our collective infrastructure. The investments announced by Hydro-Québec represent a major step forward for our sector. Hampstead will continue to work closely with Hydro-Québec to ensure that this work results in increased service reliability and the prevention of major outages in the future, while respecting the realities of our community."

-- Jeremy Levi, Mayor of Hampstead

SOURCE Hydro-Québec

Information : Hydro-Québec, Media Relations, [email protected], 514 289-5005