New Electric Substation in Bagotville to Address Growing Power Needs

In a recent announcement, Hydro-Québec shared plans for a new electric substation in Bagotville. This move aims to address the increasing demand for electricity around the port of Grande-Anse and the neighboring industrial park.

The need for this new infrastructure is pressing, as they anticipate that the existing stations, La Baie and Port-Alfred, will soon reach their capacity. Port-Alfred, in particular, is approaching the end of its operational life and is not ideally located for powering the industrial areas.

The new station will be built on vacant land near the industrial park, positioned about 3 kilometers south of the existing Rio Tinto line. To connect this new station, Hydro-Québec will also have to construct two sections of transmission line.

One of these new lines will run parallel to the existing Rio Tinto corridor and stretch 3 kilometers, while another 1.2 kilometers will connect the corridor to the new station. This plan involves dismantling an old wooden pole line that is currently unused, which used to supply power to a now-defunct client.

The Bagotville substation is not just a short-term solution. It is expected to take over all the power demands of the Port-Alfred station, which is set to be decommissioned in 2027. Moreover, there’s a possibility that the new substation could support the Dubuc and Chicoutimi stations in the next decade or so.

The estimated cost for building the new substation and preparing the site is around $83.5 million, with an additional $4.8 million budgeted for the decommissioning of Port-Alfred. If costs exceed 15%, Hydro-Québec will need to reevaluate the project.

According to the Régie de l’énergie, the project has been deemed the most advantageous option in terms of technical feasibility, economic cost, and social impact, making it crucial for achieving future power supply goals.

However, we won’t see this new substation operational before the winter peaks of 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. Hydro-Québec is prepared with a contingency plan, which includes shifting the power loads from La Baie and Port-Alfred to nearby stations.

While this plan sounds good, there’s a caveat: the available transfer capacities are limited, so there might not be enough power to meet the expected demand. As a result, they might have to ask customers to reduce their electric usage and implement some load shedding measures.