LaPRAIRIE ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION

The south shore opposite the on-island downtown of Montreal is the southern tip of the metropolis. The New Champlain Bridge and now an elevated commuter tram network has made this area the epicenter of growth in the Montreal area. This newfound rapid access to downtown has triggered all kinds of new construction, especially high density residential and commercial developments. This has pushed local electrical consumption to the breaking point so Hydro Quebec, the electrical utility company fast tracked construction of a new substation and a 25KV distribution line.

Electrical utilities are probably the longest standing Hot-Dip end users in the galvanizing industry. They know better than anyone about the amazing durability to cost story of Hot-Dip. This is doubly so with Hydro Quebec, they are the fourth largest Hydro-Electric utility in the world and the largest in North America with over 40 billion watts of generating capacity, 100,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines with over 500 substations.

With Hydro Quebec still enjoying the benefits of many now 100 year and older galvanized structures still not needing their first preventative maintenance there was never any question whether this station would be galvanized but there was a question of how quickly it could be galvanized.

With Hydro Quebec still enjoying the benefits of many now 100 year and older galvanized structures still not needing their first preventative maintenance there was never any question whether this station would be galvanized but there was a question of how quickly it could be galvanized. This timetable pressure pointed out one of the lesser known benefits of Hot-Dip, processing speed. The multiple large and modern galvanizing plants in the area allowed each 35-ton truckload of steel elements to be turned around ready for delivery in less than 48 hours on an everyday basis.

Furthermore, these modern automated plants and their state-of-the-art information management systems can produce a level of amazingly consistent high quality level that would have been unimaginable years ago. Tracking systems ensure bundle integrity and automatically generate compliance certificates. This has a beneficial effect at the erection site where every piece is accounted for and the lack of zinc inclusions in holes and on mating surfaces speeds erection.

All this adds to the already solidly proven track record of Hot-Dip in the service of electrical utilities, now well into its second century. Standing in this new substation in winter evening darkness you can see the gleaming new highrise condos in almost every direction, the elevated tramline line station nears completion and in the distance the skyline of downtown is linked by broad highways. Every light switch works, every electric car is charged and every condo is warm and comfortable, all thanks to the wonder of a modern electrical grid which in turns counts on the wonder of Hot-Dip to keep those lights on now and long into the future.

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