Hunters Point Substation

Project status 

We have listened to the community and are currently assessing the design and construction of the Hunters Point Substation. We anticipated beginning construction in 2022, but we needed to pause the project plans to confirm that the design meets these goals. This will help ensure that we are able to:

• Deliver continued safe and reliable electric service.
• Reduce the amount of space for the substation, construction and traffic impacts.

When our assessment is complete, we will rebuild the Hunters Point Substation to continue providing the southeast neighborhoods of San Francisco with safe and reliable electric service.

• The new facility will be located on Evans Avenue between Keith Street and Middle Point Road in the City of San Francisco.
• It will replace the existing Hunters Point Substation on Jennings Street.

How a substation works

Substations are considered the “brains” of the electric system. Just like the brain is connected to different parts of the body, a substation connects different types of powerlines.

• Transmission lines carry electricity across large distances into the substation
• Distribution lines deliver electric power from the substation to your neighborhood.

There are more than 30 substations in San Francisco alone, but many people don’t realize they are even there. They are designed to blend in with the community.

Community benefits

Safety 

• Substations take in higher voltage electricity from transmission lines and reduce it to a lower level. 
• This lower voltage power can be safely carried across the distribution lines that serve homes and businesses in your neighborhood.

Reliability

• Our network of substations helps prevent power outages by providing a backup in emergency situations.
• Substations also have safety equipment that provides real-time alerts to help ensure an outage in one location doesn’t affect customers in other areas.

Hunters Point Shoreline

When the Hunters Point Power Plant closed in 2006, we committed to working closely with residents on plans for the 38-acre site.

• Over the next 10 years, we rolled out a multi-phased cleanup that involved extensive community engagement and construction of the Shoreline, a new park and gathering space on the waterfront.
• We have hosted more than 300 hundred community events at the site since 2013, drawing nearly 70,000 people.
• Our goal is to hold a range of events that meet the community’s needs.
• We’ve hosted circuses, biweekly food distribution, COVID-19 testing and more.

Hunters Point Shoreline will remain open to the public for events while our substation work is paused.