Utilities Kingston has announced that $5.1 million in multi-year upgrades to Kingston’s oldest substation has now been completed and Municipal Substation No. 1 (MS1), located inside a heritage building on lower Queen Street, is now supplying power to the downtown core.
“This investment in Kingston will support economic development of our vibrant downtown, provide reliable power to our hospitals and underpin urban intensification,” said Jim Keech, President and CEO of Utilities Kingston. “By adding system capacity, we’ll also further climate action through electrification, all while making the system safer for our workers. I’m very proud of the work our employees have done.”
The multi-year project initiated in 2015 and was completed ahead of the anticipated completion in 2023 with upgrades made almost entirely by Utilities Kingston’s journeypersons, resulting in cost savings for the project. Some of that work included design and engineering, electrical construction and installation, building work and replaced end-of-life electrical equipment within the substation, some of which had been in operation for over 65 years.
Highlights:
* Replaced electro-mechanical relays with electronic relays.
* Upgraded protection systems for worker safety and asset safety.
* Installed six power transformers.
* Installed new 44kV circuit breakers.
* Installed a new ventilation system.
* Commissioned the overall protection system to ensure integrity.
The building has played an important role in the supply of heat, light and power to the citizens of Kingston since the late 1800s and now continues to deliver electricity service to downtown Kingston and local hospitals.
Photo: Google
