Hampstead substation caused this week’s blackout
A Hydro substation in Hampstead was the cause of this week’s blackout in NDG and Côte St‑Luc. It’s old and needs to be replaced, but that work won’t be done till 2029.
So if NDG folks are wondering why they have so many outages, it looks like this is the culprit.
Also, as noted below in a comment by jeather, two women have died as a result of the outage and resulting deep freeze.
Kevin 10:26 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
I wouldn’t mind so much, except Hydro first presented a plan to replace that substation in 2019.
And work has been done since then, but it’s still pretty sucky.
qatzelok 13:33 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
I read the article and in the comments, not one person mentions that we blow our budget on car infrastructure every single year, and that there is not much left over for maintenance of everything else.
I realize the majority are addicted to their cars, so the denial is very strong. But this lack of maintenance is a disaster on many levels, and will continue to cause preventable tragedies.
Grow up, civilization!
maggie rose 14:09 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
Two women died. My part of NDG has had many street lines fixed in recent years after a slew of outages and complaints, so we were spared this time. The Covid pandemic, cited by the HQ rep, was six years ago. Yes, the sub-station should be given a fast-track to repair before 2029 and I heard Mayor David Tordjman say on the news that “we can’t wait four years”.
Got me wondering (again) why we don’t have more solar battery-storage backup for times like this.
Solar homes that my ex, who recently died, built in the Eastern Townships in the 1970’s are still operating. Solar panels, which have dropped in price by 80% since 2010 make hybrid systems more feasible. Modern lithium-ion batteries would allow homeowners to store excess solar energy for use during winter months or power outages, increasing energy independence. Our hotter summers affect health too.
Sure, we have some of the lowest energy rates in North America, and that has reduced the incentive for homeowners to invest in solar.
In 2025, Hydro-Québec launched a new solar grant program, offering $1,000 per kilowatt (up to 40% of installation costs) for residential and commercial solar projects. This could reduce a typical $25,000 system cost by $10,000 or more, improving payback time. The program aims to support 125,000 solar-connected homes by 2035.
Indigenous opposition to Hydro-Québec’s expansion projects, such as the proposed transmission lines to export power to the U.S. has intensified. Nations like the Innu, Atikamekw, and Anishnabeg have filed legal challenges, arguing that these projects violate treaty rights, cause environmental harm, and proceed without proper consultation or compensation.
All of this reinforces arguments for decentralized, community-based energy solutions like solar.
Nicholas 15:13 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
We certainly have lots of examples of public or semi-public bodies taking forever to finish a project. But part of that is repeated delays due to public and political pushback, what some would call, in some cases, NIMBYism. The first one that comes to mind is the HQ Berri substation. Years of back and forth, making a plan, throwing out the plan, making a new plan, etc. It’s perfectly fine to try to make the best plan before starting work. But maybe people will realize the consequences of repeatedly delaying necessary critical infrastructure upgrades. I certainly hope we don’t suffer a brownout in half of downtown on the coldest day of the year because the substation can’t handle the load.
It’s hard to tell what happened with this specific project, but the public consultations seem to have been extensive, and there were definitely requests for changes that were just deemed not feasible, with some small changes on the margins. There are benefits to longer processes, but also consequences.
Andrew Aitken 15:47 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
I think they’re underselling it a bit, the substation is one part of a project to upgrade the transmission lines north to south across the entire island (greenwashing covered here https://mtlcityweblog.com/2020/12/07/west-end-park-corridor-announced/ ) I looked it up recently because the new bike path would go past my work, but it turns out that’ll be phase 3 scheduled for 2040!
jeather 21:07 on 2026-01-27 Permalink
My mother is in this substation (named Hampstead but in CSL) and she has had problems with it for well over a decade now, though she had power this weekend. It’s not new, and there was an outage of a similar length a few years ago (though it was less cold). It’s a well known problem.
jeather 12:24 on 2026-01-28 Permalink
They’re going to cut power to over 900 customers who already lost power this weekend most of today.
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/power-to-be-temporarily-cut-to-more-than-900-customers-in-c-s-l-n-d-g-on-wednesday