Image for illustrative purposes

Hydro-Québec has begun replacing a malfunctioning transformer at the Hampstead substation in Côte-St-Luc, following a major power outage that affected approximately 15,000 customers over the weekend.

The new equipment arrived on Wednesday, and installation is expected to take about a week. The transformer will replace one of four units at the substation that failed during an extreme cold snap, leaving thousands of residents in Côte-St-Luc and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce without electricity. While most customers have since been reconnected, some experienced prolonged service interruptions.

According to Pascal Poinlane, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec, cold weather significantly increased electricity demand, placing added strain on the aging infrastructure. Temporary generators were installed at the site to stabilize the network while crews carried out emergency and preparatory work.

In addition to the transformer replacement, Hydro-Québec is upgrading local distribution lines by increasing voltage from 12 to 25 kilovolts. One planned outage affected roughly 900 customers earlier this week, and another scheduled outage is expected in the coming days. The utility has stated that the next interruption will not affect the same customers.

The Hampstead substation has been in service for approximately 70 years and is slated for full replacement as part of a broader $4-billion modernization plan across Montreal. Construction of a new substation at the site is expected to be completed in 2029.

Source: montrealgazette.com