Council disapproves of Hydro-Québec’s oversized project for a new substation

At the council meeting of April 2, the council adopted a resolution presenting its analysis of the various options proposed for the location of the new substation planned by Hydro-Québec. The Council wished to inform the population of the Town’s position on this issue, which will have a major impact on our territory for the next 100 years.

Mayor Robert Benoît made it clear that this was Sutton’s position, not that of surounding towns: “While we understand regional considerations, we must look first and foremost at Sutton’s position,” he explained. We congratulate Hydro-Québec for all the efforts they have made to reduce the number of outages since 2023. In the case of the Brome substation project and the new line, they have also made efforts to move following pressure from the Town and citizens: by agreeing to study the feasibility of the Persons quarry and expanding the study area for the new substation. However, the current project presented by Hydro-Québec is oversized in relation to Sutton’s projected needs, as outlined in the resolution.”

The mayor reiterated the importance of social acceptability for this large-scale project. He asked Hydro-Québec, even if they are sure of their choice, to demonstrate that it is the best collective choice.

Resolution 2025-04-112 unanimously adopted by the Council on April 2, 2025
(informal translation)

ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR THE LOCATION OF HYDROQUEBEC’S PROPOSED NEW SUBSTATION

CONSIDERING THAT each municipality is sovereign;

CONSIDERING THAT the content of this resolution binds only the municipal council of the Town of Sutton and in no way prejudges the intentions and decisions of surrounding towns;

CONSIDERING THAT the winter peak electricity consumption at Sutton is 37.8 Mega Volts Amperes (MVA) or 38 Megawatts (MW);

CONSIDERING THAT the proposed new substation would have a capacity of 273 MW, i.e. 7 times the power required during the winter peak period;

CONSIDERING THAT the growth in demand for electricity in Sutton is estimated by Hydro Québec at 0.4% per year;

CONSIDERING THAT the Town of Sutton does not have an industrial park for manufacturing companies;

CONSIDERING that, on average, 34 new homes are built every year and that, over a 10-year period, 340 homes would increase the electrical peak by only 2.5 MW;

CONSIDERING THAT the proposed transmission solution is “oversized” in relation to realistic assumptions of growth in electrical demand at Sutton;

CONSIDERING THATno other option to serve the municipality of Sutton has been studied in detail, nor evaluated according to technical, economic, environmental and financial criteria;

CONSIDERING THAT the justification for choosing a new 120 kV trunk line and substation can only be assessed by analyzing other options;

CONSIDERING THAT the social acceptability of a major project can only emerge from observations documented by studies and data;

CONSIDERING THAT the residents of Sutton, and in particular those of Sutton Junction, have expressed their concerns about the justification for the project and the location of Hydro-Québec’s proposed new substation;

On the motion of Robert Benoît, seconded by Carole Lebel
IT IS RESOLVED:

TO PRESENT options other than the only transmission solution proposed to date , i.e. a new substation and a 120kV wire-mesh double-circuit line to serve the territory of the Town of Sutton.

TO ANALYZE, in a non-limitative way, the following options to ensure the reliability of the power supply for Sutton’s customers such as:

• The addition of a transformer at Cowansville substation;
• Reinforcement of the existing 49 kV line;
• The addition of a transformer to the existing Coeur-du-Village substation;
• A new 69 kV line;
• Construction of a new 69 kV substation;
• The use and/or extension of the existing 49 kV line right-of-way;
• The addition of capacitor banks or batteries to manage voltage;
• The possibility of looping the Sutton substation with other substations for adds redundancy in the event of a transmission line failure, as the current substation is on antenna and on single contingency, making it vulnerable to long power outages as in the winters of 2023 and 2024;
• The development of solar farms which, in conjunction with an improved transport solution, could reduce peak demand and enable a significant increase in self-generation of electricity in the region.
• Continuation of the Village Center microgrid project to improve community resilience, with solar panels on the roofs of municipal and commercial buildings to reduce pressure on energy demand and peak load management.

TO LIMIT the height of pylons and conductors in all cases to preserve the integrity of the landscape.

TO MEET with the elected officials of the Town of Sutton to discuss these issues in the coming weeks.

The Mayor’s explanations on the resolution can be listened to online in the recording of the April 2 council meeting à 1:06:40.
PDF document of Resolution 2025-04-112 (in French only)