By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Brome Lake Mayor Richard Burcombe has said he is opposed to the location proposed by Hydro-Québec for a new electrical substation.
The precise location of the substation – which would be built in 2027 and replace smaller existing substations in Knowlton and Sutton – has not been determined. When the new substation was first proposed in early 2024, Hydro-Québec was considering locations across a large swath of Brome-Missisquoi, including the town of Brome Lake, Brome village, Sutton, Cowansville, Dunham, Brigham and East Farnham. The current “reception zone” (zone d’accueil) where the substation may be built has been narrowed down to a smaller area straddling Brome Lake, Brome Village and Sutton, according to a map available on the Hydro-Québec website.
“The site targeted by Hydro-Québec for the construction of its substation borders the towns of Brome Lake and Sutton, in the Sutton Junction sector,” Town of Brome Lake officials explained in a statement. “Under this scenario, feeder lines supported by towers up to 45 metres high would cross part of the West Brome area to the new substation.”
Hydro-Québec regional affairs advisor Ève-Marie Jodoin said the project was first presented to stakeholders in March 2024. “We exposed the reasons we have to modernize and the areas we need to reach,” she said. Public consultations were also held in June and December 2024. However, Burcombe said he found out from constituents, not from the public utility, that Sutton Junction had been singled out as the future home of the substation, and a list of questions sent to the utility by the MRC has not received an answer. “They come to town and they consult, and people ask questions, but they don’t get many answers,” he said. “We’re waiting for Hydro to come back with answers.” An additional webinar for citizens is planned for Feb. 26, and another stakeholder meeting is planned for March, according to the mayor.
Burcombe said he recognized the need for the modernization of the electric network, but was concerned about the visual impact of the substation in an area frequented by tourists and cyclists, its impact on nearby wetlands, forested areas and farms and its social acceptability in the area. “It would ruin a part of our forest…when you have 150-foot metallic pylons installed,” he said. “No one wants to have this in their backyard, and I can’t blame them, especially in an area where there’s beautiful countryside.”
“I’m opposed to the choice of location as presented by Hydro-Québec and ask them to propose a more appropriate alternative,” Burcombe said. “The relocation and consolidation of the Knowlton and Sutton downtown stations into a single, larger station is good news in itself, but it must not be at the expense of the environment and the rural, bucolic character of our territory … It is Hydro-Québec’s job to come up with alternative locations. I understand that they are limited in the choices they can make, but it’s 2025 and technology has come a long way.”
The BCN requested comment from the town of Sutton but had not received a response by press time.
“We’re very much aware that this is a beautiful area with a lot of sensitive considerations,” said Jodoin. “That’s why we’re going step by step. We’re open to hearing suggestions about how we could make this project better.
The Feb. 26 French-language webinar is open to the public and will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Those interested in participating can register at hydroquebec.com/projets/brome. Jodoin said Hydro-Québec recognized the need to inform the local anglophone population about the project in English, but was still “trying to validate” what English services it was allowed to provide under Law 14 (formerly Bill 96). “We’ll find the best way we can to serve the anglophone population,” she said. “We do want to be able to answer questions in English.”