Last Summer, the federal government announced $9.7 million in funding to upgrade the Town of Antigonish power grid, with the upgrade set to include the replacement of existing substations, a consolidation of the grid, and voltage conversion to 25kV which will allow the utility to bring on more renewable energy.
Lise Roy, strategic initiatives coordinator, said when the funding was announced the town was already preparing for the construction phase of the project, noting they received regulatory approval in 2023. She said they immediately started procurement for the long lead items, including two power transformers for the substation, which she said will be arriving late this summer.
Roy said the current configuration is six separate metering points/substations, which are owned by Nova Scotia Power. In order to help with resiliency, power outages, and the increase in demand, the town wanted its own substation that would connect to the 138kV transmission line. The substation will go up behind Walmart.
The total cost of the grid upgrades is around $19.4 million, split between the town and the federal government. The town has until March of 2029 to complete the entire project, with Roy noting they are pleased with the progress to date.