National Grid has completed a $32 million modernization and upgrade project at its Perry Street substation in Buffalo, New York, to help meet projected electricity demand in the city’s Larkinville and First Ward areas.

The substation, originally built in 1916, traditionally delivered electricity at 4,160 volts. The completed project added 13,200-volt distribution delivery capability to serve larger electricity loads in the area.

The Perry Street substation is the first of approximately 12 substations National Grid plans to modernize or rebuild in the coming years as part of its efforts to address anticipated demand increases and maintain reliable electricity service. The upgraded facility went online this past summer.

“Growth across the City of Buffalo is driving change in electricity delivery,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “The renovations at our Perry Street station were both necessary and a direct response to load growth in Larkinville and the First Ward that include projects exceeding 1 megawatt. As we look ahead, this substation project and others like it are part of our current planning process to meet increased electricity demand and anticipate capacity needs across the city.”

Kujawa said the original substation had served the area well but was built when large electricity loads were less common and less anticipated than they are today.

“Currently as many as two dozen mixed reuse, affordable housing, commercial, and retail projects are either in the planning or construction phases, and with this new station in place, we’ll be able to support additional load growth,” Kujawa said, adding that other factors including deployment of electric heat and expansion of electric transportation also will require more electricity.

As part of the project, National Grid installed murals on the brick wall facing Perry Street depicting electricity pioneers Thomas Edison, Jacob Schoellkopff, Nikolai Tesla and George Westinghouse, along with images of their inventions. All four spent time in Western New York and played significant roles in the development of hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls and the transmission of high-voltage electricity to Buffalo in 1896.

National Grid’s long-term infrastructure investment plan also calls for converting additional portions of Buffalo to 13,200-volt electricity delivery. The work will involve modernizing and upgrading older substations, retiring some facilities and constructing new ones.

“Modernized and upgraded facilities allow us to continue to prepare for electric load growth while at the same time, support economic development opportunities and continue to provide safe, reliable, resilient electricity upon which our customers in the City of Buffalo have come to rely,” added Kujawa.