Mothballed hydro substation finds renewed role as college training site
To the untrained eye, they don’t look that different from other residential buildings on the street.
They tend not to have windows, which is a bit weird. But, hey, not everybody likes sunlight. And the other strange thing is you never see residents coming and going.
Welcome to the world of hydro substations, of which there are more than 70 across the city. Instead of housing people, the buildings are outfitted with a tangle of wire and gear to handle hydro service for a 10- to 20-block area.
Over the past several years, numerous hydro substations have been decommissioned because they became obsolete and modern equipment — in particular, internet-based technology — has meant fewer buildings are required. Sometimes, decommissioned sites are auctioned off and become residences.
Other times, they end up in less conventional use, such as with the Staircase Theatre on Dundurn Street North, which was transformed into arts performance space. These days it is known as “Hamilton’s Arts Incubator.”
This week, though, a former substation at 117 Market St. in downtown Hamilton was officially launched for something new again. It will be used as an energy and power utilities lab for hundreds of Mohawk college engineering technology students.
Max Cananzi, president of Alectra Utilities, which owns the building, says because of “grid modernization work downtown, the facility is no longer required.” It operated from 1955 to 2014.
Some months ago, Alectra entered into a multi-year lease with Mohawk to use the site for training. And since then, analog equipment has been upgraded to digital, and students will work with transformers and switchgear as if the substation were still operational.
Rubaid Khan, a Mohawk electrical engineering professor, said: “It’s no longer on the grid so it is completely safe. There are no issues with blackouts or anything happening to the surrounding area based on what we are doing in here.”
He says a small amount of simulated power will be pumped through the facility so it will seem to students as though equipment is operational. The renovated facility also has classrooms and meeting space. The college’s engineering technology program, Khan says, has been around since Mohawk opened five decades ago.
“Virtually every community college in Ontario has a similar program but I believe we are the only one that offers access to an actual substation.”