Check the Power First — Manufacturing Site Selection in Metro Vancouver
Power is the deal-breaker that shows up late. Manufacturers who treat electrical capacity as a screening criterion, not a post-lease detail, avoid 18- to 36-month delays and six-figure surprises.
July 28, 2026 · 2 min read · By Samuel Brahem, in association with NAI Commercial
Why the inventory fails manufacturers
Light assembly runs on standard 200-amp, 600-volt three-phase. Food processing, plastics extrusion or a CNC and welding shop can need 800 amps, 1,600 amps or more. But most of the region's buildings went up between the 1970s and early 2000s for warehousing, with electrical sized for lights, dock equipment and a small office. The building that looks right on size, location and rate may need a full service upgrade first.
BC Hydro's three tiers
- Secondary service (under 35 kV): covers most small and mid-sized manufacturing; adequate amperage usually means only internal distribution work
- Primary service (35 kV): required above roughly 1,500 kVA; the customer owns and maintains the transformer
- Transmission (69 kV and up): the largest users only, mostly in parts of Delta and Surrey
- The hidden variable is feeder and substation capacity — a 400-amp building near a maxed-out substation can take 18 to 36 months to reach 1,600 amps
What it costs
- Internal distribution upgrades in an adequately served building: $50,000 to $200,000
- Service upgrades using existing transformer and feeder capacity: $100,000 to $400,000 and 6 to 12 months
- System extensions with new transformers or feeders: over $500,000 and 24 months or longer
- At 4.3% regional vacancy in Q2 2026, landlords will contribute more than in 2022, but few fund speculative electrical work; most of it is tenant-funded or amortized into rent
A building at $18 per sq. ft. plus $400,000 of electrical can cost more over seven years than one at $22 with the power already in.
Where the power is
Burnaby's Big Bend and Marine Way have real industrial buildings at 600 to 1,600 amps, but film and advanced manufacturing have thinned the supply. Richmond's post-1990s grid and cold storage cluster give manufacturers more 800-amp-plus options. Campbell Heights and newer Langley product offers 400 to 800 amps with room to upgrade; Port Kells, Newton and Aldergrove vary building by building. Tilbury and Annacis Island sometimes carry heavy infrastructure from past processing uses. Vancouver proper, at about $20.10 per sq. ft. net, is the hardest place to get a landlord to pay for it.
Define connected and demand load before touring. Ask for single-line diagrams, transformer specs and recent Hydro bills. Get BC Hydro's preliminary assessment before you sign, and write upgrade allowances and timelines into the lease.
