New downtown Calgary substation opens after 100 years replacing original 1912 facility

Enmax Power cut the ribbon Thursday on a $240 million substation that marks the end of an era — and the city's biggest electricity infrastructure project in decades.

The new Substation No. 1 at 830 9th Ave. S.W. replaces Calgary's original substation, which was first electrified in 1912 and powered the city's first street lights and streetcar system. The original facility operated continuously for over 100 years before its replacement was needed to handle modern demand.

The new 35,000-square-foot facility was energized for the first time on Wednesday and will serve more than 20,000 customers, providing power to approximately half of downtown's residences and businesses. It includes six high-voltage transmission lines and 24 medium-voltage network feeder lines.

Greg Retzer, executive vice-president of Enmax Power, said the new equipment is far safer and more reliable than the aging original. "If you ever have an opportunity to work around some of the old equipment, quite frankly, it's scary," he said. "It's old, it's noisy and it's quite violent when it operates. The new equipment essentially just provides downtown Calgary higher reliability."

The facility occupies the former Roadhouse nightclub parking lot. Enmax applied to replace the original substation in 2019, received approval in 2021, and began construction in 2023. The $240 million cost will be spread across customer rates over a long period, with equipment expected to last 30 to 60 years.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas noted the substation reflects Calgary's growth toward two million people. "The best infrastructure is there when you need it; it works every hour of every day," he said. "Reliable infrastructure is not optional."