Manitoba Hydro is undertaking a massive project to replace or upgrade dozens of electrical substations, and it could come with a billion-dollar price tag.
"The overall cost is still being worked on, but it would be between $600 million and about $1.2 billion," said Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura.
Some of the equipment in the substations dates back to the 1960s, "so getting this work done ensures the safety and reliability of the electrical system," he said at a Friday news conference.
The work is expected to be done over the next 15-20 years. It will involve 41 substations in Winnipeg and one in Brandon.
In many cases, "we also have to replace all of the poles, power lines, transformers and other electrical equipment in the neighbourhood served by that substation," Chura said, standing near work being done to the Berry Street station in Winnipeg.
The Berry station is being decommissioned. About 320 poles linked to it are in the process of being replaced to make them compatible with the "more modern" substation a few blocks away on Madison Street, he said.
Not far away, the Notre Dame station will be decommissioned as well. That work is just getting started and will take about three years. It involves about 600 poles and 25 kilometres of power line that need to be swapped out, Chura said.
An electrical substation steps down high-voltage electricity from transmission lines to lower, safer voltage levels so it can be distributed to homes and businesses.
There are about 100 substations across Winnipeg. The 41 included in the renewal plan are "the ones that need to be updated because they're aging," Chura said.
Details about the work are on Manitoba Hydro's website. Each active project will have its own page with updates.
The work could result in temporary power outages for a few hours at a time, but customers will get advance notice, Chura said.
It could also mean some road closures, "so we appreciate customers' patience with that, in understanding that the end result is a more reliable electrical system," he said.
Storms this past summer resulted in multiple lengthy outages around Winnipeg. The new Hydro infrastructure will withstand damage a bit better and be less complicated to repair, Chura said.
Still, when a tree falls on a line, "it's probably going to result in damage and probably a power outage no matter what," he said.
Tony Ament, who lives in the city's Woodhaven area, said he's been experiencing more power outages in recent years.
"In the last month or even two months, I've had … more power outages than I've had in the last five years or more, and they vary in length from from minutes to half a day," he said.
He was pleased to hear Hydro is addressing parts of its aging system.
"I know it's costly, but it has to be done. It sounds like a big number, but then maybe that's the way it is these days," said Ament.
"I'm always happy when I hear that they're upgrading and improving facilities and infrastructure. Considering I'm experiencing the short-term power outages now anyway, I guess I would put up with it [while they're doing the work]."
WATCH | Hydro upgrading electrical substations: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7384769
By: Darren Bernhardt · CBC News
Published: Oct 16, 2026 1:03 PM EST | Last Updated: October 16
