Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce visited Niagara Monday to celebrate the completion of an eight-year, $131 million project to replace all the circuit breakers and other equipment at the Sir Adam Beck #2 Transformer Station.
Lecce, Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, Regional Chair Jim Bradley, the mayors of six Niagara municipalities and several Hydro One employees gathered at the site for the announcement with giant hydro towers standing guard behind them.
“The transformation of the energy sector that is happening right now is unprecedented in our lifetime,” said David Lebeter, the president and CEO of Hydro One. “It’s being driven by immigration into the province, the revitalization of our manufacturing sector, and the greening of our economy.”
Lebeter explained that electricity consumption is expected to increase faster in the next 30 years than it has in the past 60 years.
“That’s a good thing,” he added. “We all know that electricity is carbon-free the way we generate in Ontario and doesn’t emit greenhouse gases. We look at the transmission network as the backbone of this province. Power has to be safe, reliable, resilient and affordable.”
The refurbished Beck #2 Station connects more than 1,500 megawatts of clean, hydroelectric generation through its 230kV transmission circuits. Work at the station began in 2016 and involved the replacement of all switch yard equipment, including circuit breakers, a high-pressure air system, and disconnect switches.
The upgrades in Niagara are part of the critical infrastructure that helps ensure reliability in both New York and Ontario, as four of the twenty-six interties Hydro One has with its neighbouring jurisdictions are located at Beck #2.
Lecce praised the hardworking Hydro One employees and local contractors who completed the refurbishment. Andrew Spence, executive vice president of capital portfolio delivery at Hydro One, during a tour of the facility, said that as many as 55 technicians were working on the replacement at peak times. The entire job, said Spencer, required more than 400,000 hours of labour.
In an interview with The Local, Lebeter explained that the new circuit breakers are expected to have a life of 40 to 70 years depending on how well they are maintained. The breakers that were replaced were installed in 1955 to replace the original oil-based breakers..
“The advantage of these new ones is that they don’t use compressed air,” Lebeter pointed out. “There are fewer moving parts so they require much less maintenance and are more reliable. They can also handle a larger full current and more amperage which will help get more energy through the station and out to the market.”
With the replacement completed, Leberter said that next on the Beck #2 wish list is a further increase in the capacity of resistance of the new breakers.
“Engineers have identified that with the increased generation expected to be demanded in the region these breakers have to be able to stand a higher full current. We’re hoping to get approval for a $25 million project some time next year,” said Lebeter.
