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Nelson Hydro closes Lakeside substation

New equipment made the substation obsolete
19560428_web1_191205-KWS-LakesideSubstation
The Lakeside substation has been closed for good. It had been operating since the 1940s. Photo: Tyler Harper

The Lakeside Substation has been shut down for good.

Nelson Hydro closed the substation earlier this month after it was made obsolete by new equipment.

Previously the substation routed electricity from the Mill Street substation across Kootenay Lake to North Shore customers.

But new submarine cables that run parallel to the bridge now hook directly into the overhead power lines, eliminating the need for the station.

Nelson Hydro general manager Alex Love said the substation, which is located in the Lakeside Park parking lot, is believed to have been built in the 1940s. It received upgrades in 1979 and 2008, and was still in good working condition.

“It wasn’t the equipment was at the end of its life, there were a few years left in it,” said Love.

Love said the site will be fully decommissioned next year and the land turned back over to the city.



Tyler Harper

About the Author: Tyler Harper

I’m editor-reporter at the Nelson Star, where I’ve worked since 2015.
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