Projet de construction du poste Saint-Jean à 315-25 kV et d'une ligne d'alimentation à 315 kV à Dollard-Des Ormeaux - The public hearing will begin on April 20, 2016

QUÉBEC, April 7, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The commission of inquiry of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE), made up of Mr. Denis Bergeron, chair, and Mr. Marc Paquin, commissioner, is holding the first part of the public hearing on the Projet de construction du poste Saint-Jean à 315‑25 kV et d'une ligne d'alimentation à 315 kV à Dollard-Des Ormeaux par Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie. The public hearing will begin on April 20, 2016, at 7:00 pm, at the Room the Grand salon at the Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel, 555, McMillan Boulevard in Dorval. The sessions will continue on the following days, depending on the needs of the public and the commission.

During the first part of the public hearing, the commission sessions will be broadcast live on audio mode on the BAPE website at : www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.

A HEARING IN TWO PARTS

1. Obtaining information

The public hearing will take place in two parts. In the presence of the proponent and resource persons invited to answer participants' questions, the first part will allow the public and the commission to obtain information about the project in order to learn more about it and examine all its aspects.

2. Voicing opinions

During the second part of the public hearing, which will begin on May 17, 2016, at the same location, the commission will obtain the public's opinion and suggestions. The commission will hear any person, group, organization or municipality wishing to express an opinion on the project, be it in the form of a brief or an oral presentation.

The commission of inquiry has a maximum period of four months to carry out its mandate. The BAPE report will be submitted to Mr. David Heurtel, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, by August 17, 2016, at the latest. The Minister will then have 60 days to make the report public.

WHERE CAN THE PROJECT DOCUMENTATION BE CONSULTED?

All of the documents pertaining to this project are available for consultation at the Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux Public Library, 12001, De Salaberry Boulevard in Dollard-Des Ormeaux.

The entire file is also available at the BAPE office in Québec, 575, rue Saint-Amable, bureau 2.10, at Bibliothèque centrale de l'Université du Québec à Montréal, Pavillon Hubert-Aquin, 1255, rue Saint‑Denis, local A-M100, as well as on the BAPE website at www.bape.gouv.qc.ca, under the heading « Mandats en cours ».

THE PROJECT

Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie plans to convert the Saint-Jean substation's current voltage of 120-12 kV to 315-25 kV, in order to meet future growth in demand. The new substation will occupy an area of 26,000 m², mainly on the site of the current substation located at the junction of Saint-Jean Boulevard and De Salaberry Boulevard in Dollard-Des Ormeaux. The project will require the construction of a building that will be visible from De Salaberry Boulevard, as well as the installation of new electrical equipment. To meet the City of Montreal's network development needs, the promoter also plans to construct a new 315 kV aerial line between the Saint-Jean substation and the Sources substation. The new line will run along the right-of-way of the existing 120 kV line connecting the two substations, over a distance of approximately 3 km.

The cost of the project is estimated at $90 M : $76 M for the substation and $14 M for the line. Work would begin in the winter of 2016 and the facilities would be brought into service in the spring of 2019. The existing substation would remain operational throughout the construction period, and the 120-12 kV equipment would not be dismantled until the new 315-25 kV equipment has been installed and made operational

For more information, you can get in touch with Ms. Anne-Lyne Boutin, coordinator of the commission's secretariat, by dialing 418 643-7447 or, toll-free, 1 800 463-4732, extension 420. You can also contact the commission by e-mail at the following address : [email protected].

WHAT IS THE BAPE?

The BAPE is a public information and consultation organization that allows citizens to express their views on a given project and to take part in the decision-making process, which may or may not lead to the authorization of a project. The BAPE carries out the mandates entrusted to it by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, notably the public information and consultation of the documentation mandate lasting 45 days, the inquiry and public hearing mandate which may last up to 4 months, and the inquiry and mediation mandate lasting about 2 months.

In response to the requests for a public hearing submitted to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change by citizens, groups, organizations or municipalities, the BAPE has been mandated to hold a public hearing on the Projet de construction du poste Saint-Jean à 315-25 kV et d'une ligne d'alimentation à 315 kV à Dollard-Des Ormeaux par Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie.

SOURCE Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement

Alexandre Corcoran-Tardif, Communications Advisor, 418 643-7447 or 1 800 463-4732, extension 538, [email protected]