Puget Sound Energy substation project
Semiahmoo substation
Fall 2009 project updates
- Construction began in September 2009, and is expected to be complete by winter 2009
Project overview
PSE plans to build a new electric substation and associated transmission lines at 4390 Birch Bay-Lynden Road in Blaine. We are building our Semiahmoo substation to meet increasing demand for electricity in Blaine, and the Blaine and Birch Bay Urban Growth areas of Whatcom County. In addition, our new substation will increase electric system reliability and provide greater system flexibility, resulting in fewer construction- and maintenance-related outages. When complete, our substation will include one 25 megavolt ampere (MVA) transformer with the space to add a second 25 MVA transformer, allowing PSE to double the capacity in the future without changing the substation footprint.
What is a substation?
Substations are critical links in the electricity distribution system, containing utility circuit protection, voltage regulation, and equipment that steps down higher voltage to lower voltage. Before reaching homes and businesses, power is routed through our transmission system to a substation where it is changed to a lower voltage that can be utilized by customers.
Committed to keeping you informed
PSE will continue to provide updates to the community. We will notify residents who live near the project area when construction will occur. It is our aim to complete the work with as little disruption as possible.
Download information
Download these PDF files for more detail on PSE's Semiahmoo substation project.
News release (09/02/2009)
Construction notice, August 2009 (130 KB PDF)
Community meeting invite, February 2008 (99 KB PDF)
Fact sheet (66 KB PDF)
Project map (164 KB PDF)
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