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VANCOUVER – BC Hydro is introducing "seed", a proposed concept to upgrade downtown Vancouver’s electricity infrastructure while funding new community amenities like new schools, daycare spaces and park upgrades.

Demand for electricity in downtown Vancouver is expected to grow by over 75 per cent in the next 30 years due to population and densification. BC Hydro currently has three substations in the downtown core. The first is Cathedral Square substation which will be upgraded and continue to be an important part of the system. The others, Murrin substation in Chinatown (built in 1947) and Dal Grauer substation on Burrard Street (built in 1953) are nearing end-of-life and need to be replaced.

The traditional approach to building substations is to find and buy a piece of land, and build a substation on top of it. In downtown Vancouver, this would mean taking up almost half a city block for each new site, displacing other needs such as housing in a growing city where land is scarce and valuable.

With "seed", BC Hydro is the first utility in North America to consider a new, city-wide approach, proposing to build two new substations underground in the West End and Yaletown, so the space above them can be used for new schools, new daycare spaces and improved parks.

BC Hydro was the first utility to build an underground substation in North America. This substation was built below Cathedral Square Park in downtown Vancouver and has been safely operating since 1984. Other communities like Anaheim (2007) and Toronto (2017) are following our lead.

Along with new and upgraded electrical infrastructure, "seed" could fund the development of a number of community benefits, including: