April 15, 2016- SaskPower has added a second transformer to the Fleet Street substation in Regina’s east end as well as six new distribution feeders, and upgrades to older feeders, to “improve reliability and safety of power service”.

“These upgrades are vital for an area of the province that has grown quickly in the past few years,” says Tim Eckel, SaskPower vice-president of transmission services. “The work will also protect the electrical system during summer and winter peak demands that have been reaching new record highs almost every year since 2010.”

This was the final step in a larger upgrade to the Fleet Street Substation over the past four years worth $11.5-million, according to SaskPower, and allows the rerouting of power “more effectively during outages that inevitably come with summer wind and lightning storms”.

The transformer also includes wildlife protection, incorporating “new designs” for safeguarding electrical components.

The transformer is now online and final work and testing is taking place this month. These final phases may require short, planned outages, SaskPower warns.