January 12, 2026

by Tom Hackney and Bill Andrews

BC Hydro has applied to the BCUC for approval to replace two aging substations with a new $1-billion electrical substation in Vancouver’s West End.

BC Hydro says the proposed West End Substation would expand its capacity to serve electrical loads in the West End. Load in the West End is increasing because, among other things, people are switching from fossil fuels to electricity for their energy needs. The proposed new substation would replace the existing Murrin and Dal Grauer Substations, which cannot be suitably upgraded because they are built on seismically unstable ground and lack the space to accommodate the new equipment that is required.

BCSEA has applied to intervene as a single organization in the BCUC’s review.