Toronto Hydro unveils hidden tunnel during construction of transformer station

Tunnel will help supply power to new downtown station

TORONTO, June 25, 2015 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro has completed a major milestone in the construction of the Clare R. Copeland Transformer Station, located in downtown Toronto. Following a complicated excavation project resembling a mining operation, a tunnel connecting the new station to Hydro One equipment has been recently completed.

Invisible from street level, the tunnel runs underground from Bremner Boulevard and Rees Street to Front and Simcoe Streets. When construction is complete, electricity will flow through large cables in the tunnel to supply the station, while pedestrians walk above the streets, oblivious of the power below their feet.

Copeland Station represents an important piece of Toronto's infrastructure and a smart investment in the grid. Once finished, it will provide additional power to the downtown core - which is growing at an unprecedented rate - as well as help improve reliability and protection against power outages.

Construction on Copeland Station is ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2016.  This innovative project is only the second underground station to be built in Canada and has been uniquely designed to preserve public green space beside the Roundhouse, a historical building.

QUICK FACTS

• A 176 ton Tunnel Boring Machine travelled east, and then north, 600 metres to Lower Simcoe and Front Streets to connect the station to the electricity grid
• The tunnel is located 100 feet below grade
• The station, which will use modern equipment, will be approximately 50,000 square feet, with three floors spanning 40 feet below grade
• The $195-million project is the first station to be built downtown since the 1950s, the second underground station to be built in Canada and when it's complete, it will be virtually undetectable to the hundreds of thousands of visitors the area receives each year

QUOTES

"The completion of this stage of work is a turning point.  Copeland Station represents an important piece of Toronto's infrastructure and a smart investment in the grid. It's needed to help power the growth of the city, while respecting public green spaces."

• Anthony Haines, President and CEO, Toronto Hydro

"Investing in the electricity grid is critical. When completed, Toronto Hydro's Copeland Station will help strengthen and modernize our shared energy infrastructure, ensuring efficient and reliable electricity supply for a growing population and a vibrant city."

• Sandy Struthers, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning, Hydro One

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 740,000 customers located in the city of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 18% of the electricity consumed in the province of Ontario.

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SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation

Video with caption: "Video: The making of Copeland Station". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20150625_C9952_VIDEO_EN_43875.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20150625_C9952_PHOTO_EN_43875.jpg&clientName=Toronto%20Hydro%20Corporation&caption=Video%3A%20The%20making%20of%20Copeland%20Station&title=TORONTO%20HYDRO%20CORPORATION%20%2D%20Toronto%20Hydro%20unveils%20hidden%20tunnel%20during%20construction%20of%20transformer%20station&headline=Toronto%20Hydro%20unveils%20hidden%20tunnel%20during%20construction%20of%20transformer%20station

Image with caption: "Toronto Hydro President and CEO, Anthony Haines, inside Copeland Station tunnel (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150625_C9952_PHOTO_EN_43882.jpg

Image with caption: "Recently completed Copeland Station tunnel (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150625_C9952_PHOTO_EN_43881.jpg

CONTACT

Tori Gass
Communications and Public Relations
416-903-4037
[email protected]

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