Connecting Utilities for a Better Grid | Jonathan Grenier, UG Dis. Eng. Standards

The power industry has been a throwaway industry. When a transformer fails, the default response is replacement — not repair. But as the grid decarbonizes and supply chains tighten, one Hydro-Québec engineer is making the case that refurbishability isn’t just about cost savings — it’s a carbon strategy.

At the CIGRE 2025 International Symposium in Montréal, Canada, host Ben Lanz sat down with Jonathan Grenier, Underground Distribution Engineering Standards at Hydro-Québec, to discuss the challenges of managing 30,000 distribution transformers in harsh environments, the evolving procurement landscape, and why distribution deserves a bigger seat at the CIGRE table.

Grenier’s career spans Shell’s Montréal East refinery through overhead line maintenance, wooden pole inspection, and medium voltage client connections before reaching his current expertise role — where he authors the technical specifications (Hydro-Québec’s “red book,” E.21-12) and oversees underground network transformer standards.

Key Takeaways:

• Hydro-Québec manages roughly 30,000 distribution transformers compared to roughly 1,000 at the transmission level — a scale problem that demands different maintenance strategies
• Submersible transformer corrosion from de-icing salts, vault gases, and organic biodegradation is a primary longevity challenge in Montréal’s underground network
• The stainless steel vs cost-effectiveness debate for submersible transformers remains unsettled — Grenier is building the cost-benefit case his predecessor didn’t champion
• Transformer supply chain pressures have eased as new manufacturers entered the market and existing suppliers expanded capacity, shifting the focus from procurement to quality assurance
• Hydro-Québec’s red book (standard E.21-12) defines the specifications for medium voltage client hookups — a document Grenier wants to make as “easy to digest” as possible
• Asset refurbishability as a carbon reduction strategy: reusing coils and components where possible, extending transformer life rather than defaulting to replacement
• The CSA environment and climate change resiliency committee isn’t yet prioritizing impact reduction — Grenier argues it needs to become part of the “whole package”
• CIGRE gatherings serve a critical knowledge-retention function as experienced engineers retire, providing peer collaboration that doesn’t happen at the Christmas dinner table
• Distribution’s role at industry conferences remains underrepresented — “what we lack in size we make up in numbers”

GUEST: Jonathan Grenier, Underground Distribution Engineering Standards, Hydro-Québec
HOST: Ben Lanz
EVENT: CIGRE 2025 International Symposium, Montréal, Canada