Buffalo – October 11, 2026 -- National Grid has completed a $32 million modernization of its 110-year-old Perry Street substation in Buffalo, adding 13,200-volt delivery to a site that previously supplied only 4,160 volts. The project is the first of about a dozen substations the utility plans to modernize or rebuild in the coming years.
Perry Street station adds 13,200-volt delivery for Larkinville and First Ward loads
The upgraded facility went online this past summer. It now serves some large loads in the Larkinville and First Ward areas of the city. The original substation was built in 1916, before large electricity loads were commonplace or anticipated.
National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa said the renovations responded directly to load growth in those districts, including projects that exceed 1 megawatt.
Up to two dozen development projects are in planning or construction
As many as two dozen mixed-use, affordable housing, commercial and retail projects are in planning or construction nearby, according to Kujawa. He said the new station will allow the utility to support additional load growth beyond those projects.
Kujawa also cited electric heat deployment and expansion of electric transportation as factors that will require more electricity.
National Grid plans to convert more of Buffalo to 13,200-volt delivery
Under its long-term infrastructure investment plan, additional parts of the city will move to 13,200-volt delivery. That work will require modernizing and upgrading older substations, retiring others and building some new ones. The company describes the program as a multi-year reliability and resiliency plan intended to ensure supply can meet projected demand increases.
National Grid also installed murals on the brick wall facing Perry Street. They depict Thomas Edison, Jacob Schoellkopff, Nikolai Tesla and George Westinghouse, who spent time in Western New York and played roles in harnessing Niagara Falls hydroelectric power and transmitting high-voltage electricity to Buffalo in 1896.