Hydro-Québec Launches Work on the New Côte Saint-Luc Substation
February 9, 2026
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.
“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,” commented Maxime Nadeau, Senior Director – Power System Operations, Hydro-Québec
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.
