News
Lions Gate Hospital has the power
It's been a busy February for construction around Lions Gate Hospital. Earlier in the month, two oxygen concentrators were commissioned and, by the end of the month, a second larger piece of infrastructure will be up and running at the hospital.
On March 1, a brand new power plant will be operational, replacing the previous original power plant built when the hospital opened back in 1961.
The new power plant will be more efficient than its predecessor with six boilers handling the hospital's needs. The plant is also built to seismic standards and can run for 72 hours on an emergency basis.
The new power plant, located under the former East 14th Street on the LGH campus, in between the HOpe Centre and Evergreen House, has two levels that contain equipment for steam and hot water generation, along with all the major mechanical, electrical, medical gas, water and other systems for the LGH campus. The boilers can be moved to different locations around the site and be replaced individually, increasing the life of the power plant.
The new plant is also a key piece of infrastructure that lays the ground work for the expansion of the hospital and construction of the new six-storey acute care facility.
“It would be impossible to build a new acute care facility at LGH without the new power plant in place," said Keith McBain, executive director of the LGH redevelopment. “It's exciting to see this major piece of infrastructure coming online here at the hospital."
The proposed $170 million LGH expansion project is scheduled to open in mid-2023 and include 225,000 square feet of new and improved floor space.
As for the new power plant, there will be a three-month stabilizing period leading up to June 1, when the old plant will be removed from standby and eventually demolished.
Over the course of the last year, the project has passed a number of milestones including the installation of new 35 metre/115 feet tall chimney stacks last spring and the oxygen concentrators this month. The two concentrators provide purified oxygen to the hospital.