The Port of Montreal has officially brought its new electrical substation into service following two years of construction work, completing a key component of the broader CanEst Yard redevelopment project.
The initiative relocated the former substation from the CanEst Yard to Yard 42, freeing up valuable operational space while modernising ageing electrical infrastructure.
The project was delivered at a total cost of CA$ 13 million, below the initial budget estimate of CA$ 14.7 million.
The new Substation 3 has a distribution capacity of 15.6 MVA and serves a significant portion of the port territory, covering sections 24 through 51 from the Berri entrance to Sicard Street, supplying electricity to both buildings and vessels along this stretch of the port.
The technical infrastructure 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 for operational monitoring and control.
The principal challenge throughout the project was maintaining uninterrupted power supply to the port during construction, with continuous service delivery identified as the primary operational constraint governing the work’s execution.
The Port of Montreal manages a total electrical network of seven substations, making the reliability and modernisation of this infrastructure essential to the continuity of port operations across the affected territory.
