The Port of Montreal has brought its new electrical substation into service after two years of construction, completing the project at $13 million, under its initial $14.7 million budget estimate.
The substation forms part of the broader CanEst Yard redevelopment and replaces a former unit relocated from the CanEst Yard to Yard 42, freeing up operational space in the process.
It now powers a significant stretch of port territory spanning sections 24 to 51, from the Berri entrance to Sicard Street, supplying electricity to both buildings and vessels along that corridor.
The new infrastructure carries a distribution capacity of 15.6 MVA and includes a 25 kV auxiliary room with dual Hydro-Québec feeds, 25 kV switchgear on the ground floor, 12.5 kV switchgear on the upper floor with 11 vacuum circuit breakers, two capacitor banks and a SCADA cabinet.
The Port of Montreal manages a total of seven substations across its electrical network, making the reliability of each unit critical to overall port operations.
The project was led by Martin Gilbert, Project Manager, and Peter Manolov, Electrical Network Supervisor.
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It was delivered in sequential phases: excavation and construction of the new substation structure, installation of mechanical and electrical systems, connection to the existing network and dismantling of the former station.
The principal operational challenge was keeping the lights on throughout. Manolov said: “We absolutely had to avoid and minimise any service interruptions.”
To manage this, the new substation was commissioned in parallel with the existing one. Line transfers were carried out progressively, cutting cables one at a time, with interruptions kept to a maximum of 15 minutes at any given point.
Gilbert, who came to the project from a civil engineering background with no prior experience of electrical infrastructure of this scale, oversaw contract management for the final six months. “It was a great experience,” he said.
The substation is designed with longevity in mind. Manolov described it as “good for at least another 35 years”, a timeline that comfortably covers the port’s medium and long-term operational planning horizon.
For more information:
Port of Montreal – https://www.port-montreal.com/en/
