The province has budgeted more this year for a new electrical substation for the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) area than toward the replacement of the Waterford Hospital.
The replacement plan for the Waterford Hospital in St. John’s (with $6.1 million for advanced planning in 2018) includes an extension for the HSC.
But there are multiple new additions to that area of the city, around Clinch Crescent, including the HSC extension but also Memorial University’s Animal Resource Centre and the MUN Core Science Building, both now under construction.
A total of $9.3 million has been budgeted for adding the new substation for electrical services in the area.
The money is not coming directly from the pockets of Newfoundland Power or Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro ratepayers, but will be paid with tax dollars, through the provincial government.
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Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is not involved with the substation project.
A Newfoundland Power spokeswoman told The Telegram the project was initiated by the Department of Health and Community Services. The utility has been helping with planning, and there are details yet to be finalized, the spokeswoman said.
Newfoundland Power is working with representatives from the Department of Transportation and Works, who are managing the project.
The exact substation plans are still in development, said Jeff Boland, director of maintenance with facilities management at MUN. However, the working plan would see it built at the back of the National Research Council Canada building. If you were standing in front of the HSC at the MUN medical school, facing the MUN parking garage, it would be ahead to your left.
MUN actually plays a key role in servicing the HSC with light and power.
The university owns and operates a steam plant providing chilled water for HVAC and domestic hot water to the hospital complex. It also maintains a collection of generators in the Utilities Annex (beside the campus parking garage). These generators supply emergency backup power to the HSC.
The operation falls under a cost-sharing agreement between MUN and the provincial government.
Electrical power is currently run into the HSC from the province’s main energy grid, with the hospital complex connected to the substation at King’s Bridge Road through above-ground lines and then underground lines through the MUN campus.
Boland said the new substation offers an added, alternate route for the supply of regular power.
“It won’t have to go through campus, basically,” he said.
Another construction project planned in the same area is a berm, proposed by Eastern Health to address forecasted flood risks.
An environmental preview report for that project, developed by consulting engineers with CBCL, and available online, incorporates the university buildings, but not the more recently announced electrical substation and extension to the Health Sciences Centre.
Both the substation project and the Health Sciences Centre extension would be more clearly detailed when entered for environmental review.
