Public Notice

The Greenbank municipal transformer station project - Hydro Ottawa – Public Comments Invited

June 5, 2026 – The authorities must determine whether the proposed The Greenbank municipal transformer station project - Hydro Ottawa, located in Ottawa is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, the authorities are inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.

Written comments must be submitted by July 5, 2026 to:

Environment, Health and Safety

Public Services and Procurement Canada

11 Laurier St, Portage III, Place du Portage
Gatineau, QC  K1A 0S5

Email: TPSGC.RCNLVEEListedeControle-NCRECMPChecklist.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

 

The Proposed Project

To ensure Ottawa's south west region has the power to grow, Hydro Ottawa Limited (Hydro Ottawa) will construct a new 27.6 kV municipal transformer station on Greenbank Road, approximately 450 metres south of the Hunt Club Road intersection. The station, to be constructed within the National Capital Region Greenbelt, will serve existing customers and support projected growth in electricity demand for new residential and commercial developments in south Nepean for many years to come. The Station will enhance reliability, reduce the size and frequency of outages, and provide redundancy to the area's electricity system in the event of future extreme weather events. The Greenbank municipal transformer station is one of many future-planning investment projects led by Hydro Ottawa to support growth and grid resilience, and to make the region's electricity system as sustainable as possible.

The site is located directly adjacent to the existing Hydro One 230kV transmission corridor. This proximity simplifies the interconnection process and improves overall system reliability.  The site is approximately 1.6 hectares (ha) in size and is located immediately west of Greenbank Road, approximately 460 m south of West Hunt Club Road in Ottawa, Ontario.  The Site is located in the northeast corner of the CFIA's Ottawa Laboratory, which encompasses approximately 837 ha between Fallowfield Road to the south and Hunt Club Road to the north. The Site is situated within agricultural fields, with relatively small tree stands to the south and a surface water feature (tributary to Graham Creek) to the west. The zoning of the Site is AG (Agricultural).

The Site is bordered by:

• Agricultural lands and meadows and West Hunt Club Rod to the north
• Greenbank Road and agricultural lands belonging to the National Capital Commission to the east
• Agricultural lands, small tree stands, and a drainage feature on CFIA property to the south
• Agricultural ands, a treed tributary corridor and Cedarview Road to the west.

 

 

Figure 1: Site map showing the existing Hydro One transmission lines and the proposed location of the new station

The Project is anticipated to be completed between Fall 2026 and Spring 2028 and will consist of the following components:

• The construction of a single-level building with a basement (approximately 17 m × 25 m) to house critical electrical equipment, including switchgear, fuses, and protection and control systems;
• The development of an open-air electrical yard (approximately 53 m × 61 m) including the installation of two transformers, two high-voltage breakers, two high-voltage disconnect switches, and associated equipment mounted on concrete foundations;
• The installation of two firewalls integrated into the electrical yard design to provide visual screening of the transformers;
• The construction of a 6-metre-wide private access road connecting the site to Greenbank Road;
• Site preparation activities, including excavation, installation of geotechnical piles, establishment of a staging area, installation of a security fence, and construction of a parking area;
• Landscaping works, including tree planting, installation of vegetative buffers, and construction of an earth berm along the site frontage; and
• The installation of approximately 4.8 kilometres of underground electrical infrastructure to support the new Greenbank Station and surrounding areas. Including:
  • duct bank system beneath the existing multi-use pathway along Greenbank Road to be completed in coordination with the City of Ottawa pathway repairs.
  • Install 8.5Mx12m switchgear unit at North-West corner of Greenbank and Fallowfield rd. 
  • The underground electrical infrastructure will extend westward for approximately 1.2 kilometres along the north side of Fallowfield Road, where it will connect to the main CFIA campus.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will act as the lead federal authority for the Project on federal lands. In addition to PSPC, the Project will be reviewed under the Impact Assessment Act by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), in its role as landowner and authorizing authority, and by the National Capital Commission (NCC), as the federal authority responsible for issuing approvals under the National Capital Act.