Big upgrades coming to Pontiac’s electrical grid, Hydro-Quebec hosting open house May 27

Big upgrades coming to Pontiac’s electrical grid, Hydro-Quebec hosting open house May 27

Hydro-Québec recently announced plans to improve the Pontiac’s electrical infrastructure by building a new substation in the Fort-Coulonge/Mansfield region, along with a 30 km transmission line to the Cadieux substation near Bryson. The project will also include the rebuilding of the Cadieux substation. A PDF of the area being studied is available here.

HQ will be hosting an open house for the public regarding the project on Tuesday, May 27 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fort-Coulonge Knights of Columbus hall (525 rue Baume).

HQ’s statement notes that these upgrades will help improve the grid’s capacity and reliability in the Upper Pontiac, a long-standing issue in the area. The planned timeline would see 2025/26 devoted to technical studies and public consultation, while government approvals are predicted to take 2026-28. Work is scheduled to begin in 2028 and last till 2030, with commissioning taking place 2030/31. The upgrades to the Cadieux substation are planned for 2029/30.

“We firmly believe that close cooperation with the host community is a key condition for the social acceptability and completion of this project,” said Marie-Annick Gariépy, an advisor for regional affairs at HQ.

More information is available here.