Case Study: Northlands Park achieves a reliable power system upgrade with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL)

SEL Protection and Communications Capabilities Integral to Power System Upgrade at Alberta’s Dynamic Northlands Park

Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta, is a busy sports, gaming, business, and entertainment complex that needed to upgrade its aging electrical infrastructure without interrupting a packed schedule of events. The site had to modernize old electromechanical gear while carefully managing switching and installation around major venues like Rexall Place, and it turned to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) for protection, communications, and monitoring technology.

SEL provided a phased solution built around SEL-351S and SEL-351A relays, SEL-2030 communications processors, fiber-optic SCADA links, and HMI-based monitoring to support a redundant power system, automatic feeder transfer, and coordinated protection across 14 feeders. The upgrade improved reliability, enabled off-site simulation and testing before live cutover, and gave Northlands Park better control over energy use and electrical operations while supporting a long-term development plan; the site’s events generate more than $342 million annually and support another $888 million in economic activity.

Northlands Park

Clive Collar

Power Systems Specialist and Project Manager