Power transformers and switchgear can’t tolerate shock, excessive tilt or careless handling, and more of this equipment is heading to London and St. Thomas. Hydro One is building a new transmission line to the PowerCo battery plant site, and new plants and stations are planned across Elgin and Middlesex counties. Rigging-Busters handles transformer and substation rigging in London, St. Thomas and Southwestern Ontario: we move, rig and set transformers, switchgear and substation equipment for plants, electrical contractors and project teams.
Our crews work with jack-and-roll, hydraulic gantries, machine skates and, when a lift needs one, a partner crane. We rig, move and set; your licensed electrical contractor disconnects and reconnects, and the manufacturer’s field service handles dressing, oil and testing where required. For the largest substation transformers, send the nameplate weight first, and we confirm whether the move suits our methods before we quote.
Contact us for transformer rigging in London, Ontario and the surrounding area, from St. Thomas and Aylmer to Woodstock, Ingersoll and Strathroy, plus Windsor.
- Electrical equipment and plant machinery only: transformers, switchgear, generators and machines, no household moves.
- One crew from rigging to set-in-place: rigging, transport, setting and levelling under one plan.
- A partner crane when a lift needs one, with its time included in your quote.
- Quotes usually within 2–4 working hours for London, St. Thomas, Woodstock and Ingersoll, once we have all the details.
- Minimum job: 3,500 CAD before tax. Most industrial jobs cost more, and your written quote shows the full price.
Want a quick number first? Our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator gives a rough price range for a transformer or switchgear move before you send the details.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Transformer and Substation Rigging Services in London and St. Thomas
- Power transformer moving, lifting and setting, plus pad-mount and dry-type units for plants and buildings
- Switchgear and substation equipment rigging and setting
- Transport by float trailer, sized to the unit
- Jack-and-roll and hydraulic-gantry placement
- Electrical equipment for new and expanding plants
- Generator and large electrical skid rigging
- Route planning, oversize permits and escorts
Rigging, transport and setting of power transformers, switchgear and substation equipment for London, St. Thomas and Southwestern Ontario’s energy and manufacturing projects.
Plant Transformers and Substation Power Transformers
Most transformers in plants and commercial buildings are pad-mount or dry-type units that our crew moves with skates, jacks, gantries and heavy-capacity lift trucks. Substation power transformers are a different class: large units are often shipped drained, with bushings and radiators removed, and set by crane, gantry or jacking and skidding (often called jack and slide) inside a fixed outage window. For those, we plan the rigging and setting with the manufacturer’s field service and confirm the transport method before we quote.
Why Southwestern Ontario Energy and Industrial Projects Choose Us
- Industrial and commercial work only: electrical equipment and plant machinery.
- One crew from rigging to set-in-place: rigging, transport, setting and levelling under one plan.
- A partner crane when a lift needs one, included in the same quote.
- Permits and escorts arranged for oversize loads on Highway 401, county roads and city streets.
- Coordination with utilities, EPCs and OEMs on outage windows, lifting points and site rules.
- Cross-border transport for equipment arriving from the US.
- Quotes usually within 2–4 working hours once we have all the details.
- Equipment: jack-and-roll systems for loads up to 600 tons, hydraulic gantries, lift trucks up to 60,000 lb and float trailers for loads up to 50 tons.
- Insured: $5 million in liability insurance that includes cargo coverage, plus workers’ compensation coverage (WSIB in Ontario). Certificate of insurance and WSIB clearance certificate on request.
A good fit: transformer, switchgear and generator moves for plants, commercial buildings and electrical contractors, and rigging and setting subcontracts on new plant and station projects.
Not a fit: transformer rental or mobile substations; repair, rewinding or oil testing; electrical installation and terminations, which belong to a licensed electrical contractor; utility-owned hydro transformers on homes or properties; household moves; and job applications for the St. Thomas plants.
Serving St. Thomas, London and the Southwestern Ontario energy corridor
We rig and set electrical equipment across St. Thomas, London, Woodstock, Ingersoll and Southwestern Ontario, a corridor shaped by the PowerCo battery plant, Hydro One’s new St. Thomas transmission line and the region’s automotive and industrial plants. Typical sites include London’s industrial parks, such as Innovation Park along Highway 401 and the Trafalgar and Huron industrial parks, and St. Thomas industrial land such as Yarmouth Yards.
Projects Driving Transformer and Electrical Work Around London and St. Thomas
These public, dated projects bring transformer, switchgear and plant-equipment work to the region. We list them as planning context, not as our own jobs:
- Hydro One St. Thomas Line: a 230 kV double-circuit line of about 20 km, from the existing transmission line north of Highway 401 in London to Centennial Transformer Station in St. Thomas, built to connect the PowerCo battery cell plant. Hydro One expects to energize it in fall 2027 and notes that timelines may change (Hydro One, April 2026).
- PowerCo battery plant, St. Thomas: operations are now expected in 2029, two years later than planned, with EllisDon as general contractor and building structures visible across the 350-acre site (CTV News London, 24 September 2026).
- Vianode synthetic graphite plant, Yarmouth Yards: site preparation has started, production is expected to begin in 2028, and planned capacity is up to 150,000 tons a year (Charged EVs, December 2025).
- Hitachi Energy, London: an investment of 479 million Canadian dollars in a transformer insulation factory of about 21,000 m² that will make pressboard and laminates for transformers, with more than 100 jobs and completion expected by 2028 (Hitachi Energy, 16 October 2026).
- London Hydro: in a May 2026 letter to the IESO, the utility said Talbot TS and Clarke TS supply about half of the city and pointed to about 130% load growth over 20 years. It asked the IESO to explore a future 500/230 kV station in northwest London (London Hydro letter, 20 May 2026).
Utility stations are built through tenders and approved vendors. For a rigging crew, the nearer-term work is the plant transformers, switchgear, generators and process equipment that these projects bring to contractors and suppliers in Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford counties.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Our Transformer Rigging Process
- Site survey, route survey and data: we review the nameplate (kVA, weight, oil-filled or dry-type), the manufacturer’s drawings and lifting points, both sites and the route, with a site visit when photos are not enough.
- Isolation: the utility or your licensed electrical contractor de-energizes, disconnects and locks out the unit inside the agreed outage window.
- Preparation: accessories are removed and the unit is prepared for transport as the manufacturer specifies.
- Rigging and lifting: by the manufacturer’s lifting points, with jack-and-roll, skates, a hydraulic gantry or a partner crane.
- Transport: on a float trailer with proper tie-downs, with impact recorders and tilt limits as the manufacturer specifies, and with oversize permits and escorts arranged.
- Setting: the unit is set on its pad or in its vault or electrical room, then levelled and anchored.
- Reconnection and testing: by your licensed electricians and the manufacturer’s field service.
Who Does What: Riggers, Electricians, the Manufacturer and the Utility
We rig, move and set the equipment. Your licensed electrical contractor disconnects and reconnects it, because electrical work done for hire in Ontario must be carried out by a Licensed Electrical Contractor (O. Reg. 570/05). On large units, the manufacturer’s field service handles dressing, oil filling and testing. The utility controls the outage window, and it moves its own equipment, such as a pad-mount transformer that feeds your building.
Transformer Transport and Permits in London, St. Thomas and Elgin County
Provincial highways such as Highway 401 need an MTO oversize permit, and Ontario asks carriers to apply at least 5 business days before the trip. On City of London roads, the Heavy Loads on Roads By-law S-2 requires a permit from the City Engineer, and loads over 3.66 m wide, 4.11 m high or 25 m long need 72 hours’ notice to the railways, Fire and Police, with a police escort if required. Elgin County Engineering Services issues single-trip and annual oversize/overweight permits and road occupancy permits for county roads through its online permit portal, Middlesex County issues its own permits and does not issue overweight permits in March and April, and St. Thomas streets need a municipal permit from the city.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Transformer Rigging Cost: What Affects the Price
We price each transformer or switchgear move as a job, after we see the nameplate, the route and both sites. The main cost drivers:
- Weight and kVA rating, and whether the unit is oil-filled or dry-type
- Access at both ends: doors, vaults, electrical rooms, rooftops and floor capacity
- Method: skates, jack-and-roll, a hydraulic gantry or a partner crane
- Distance and permits: the route, oversize permits and escorts
- Outage window and timing: after-hours or weekend work set by the utility or the plant
- Manufacturer requirements: impact recorders, accessory removal and field-service visits
When a lift needs a crane, the crane partner’s time is included in your quote. Quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD), and we accept cash, debit and credit cards and bank transfers. For a first range, try the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator; the price of the transformer itself is a question for its manufacturer or supplier.
Service Area: London, St. Thomas and Southwestern Ontario
Our London service area covers St. Thomas, Aylmer and Port Stanley in Elgin County; Woodstock, Ingersoll and Tillsonburg in Oxford County; Strathroy, Lucan and Parkhill in Middlesex; and Stratford, St. Marys, Tavistock and Exeter to the north, and Windsor to the west. For transformer work in Toronto and the GTA, see transformer moving and rigging in Toronto.
Key Cities We Serve Around London and St. Thomas
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| London | Ontario | Canada |
| Aylmer | Ontario | Canada |
| Exeter | Ontario | Canada |
| Ingersoll | Ontario | Canada |
| Lucan | Ontario | Canada |
| Parkhill | Ontario | Canada |
| Port Stanley | Ontario | Canada |
| Saint Marys | Ontario | Canada |
| St. Thomas | Ontario | Canada |
| Strathroy | Ontario | Canada |
| Stratford | Ontario | Canada |
| Tavistock | Ontario | Canada |
| Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
| Woodstock | Ontario | Canada |
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Have These Ready for an Exact Quote
Send these with your quote request, and we can plan and price the move without a second round of questions:
- Nameplate photo: kVA rating, weight, and whether the unit is oil-filled or dry-type
- Manufacturer drawings or lifting points, if you have them
- Both addresses and access: doors, vault or electrical room, rooftop and floor capacity
- Photos of the path from the current spot to the truck, and from the truck to the new pad
- Outage window or target date, and who arranges the shutdown
- Site rules: contractor prequalification, safety orientation or a required lift plan
Contact Us Today!
Contact Rigging-Busters for transformer and substation rigging in London and St. Thomas, Ontario. Send the nameplate and a few photos of the route, and we will come back with a method, a schedule and a price for your transformer moving job, usually within 2–4 working hours once we have all the details.
Other Services in London
Browse all our services in London, or go straight to a related service:
- Heavy Equipment and Machinery Movers in London, ON
- Heavy and Industrial Rigging Services in London, ON
- Lab and Medical Equipment Movers in London, ON
- Forklift Moving Service in London, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in London, ON
- Electrical Transformer Moving and Rigging in Toronto, ON
Location of our sales office:
759 Hyde Park Rd, London, ON N6H 3S2, Canada
Transformer Rigging in London and St. Thomas: FAQ
It depends on the transformer and the route. We price each job from the nameplate weight and kVA, oil-filled or dry-type, access at both ends, the lifting method, the distance and oversize permits, and the outage window. When a lift needs a crane, its time is included in our quote. For a first range, use our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator, then send the nameplate for an exact price.
Plant and building transformers, such as pad-mount and dry-type units, are routine work for our crew with skates, jacks, gantries and heavy-capacity lift trucks. Larger oil-filled power transformers are moved with a partner crane or with jacking and skidding. For the largest substation units, send the nameplate weight and the route first, and we will tell you which method fits and whether a specialist heavy-haul carrier is needed.
Yes. We survey the route and arrange the permits. Provincial highways such as Highway 401 need an MTO oversize permit, applied for at least 5 business days ahead. City of London roads need a permit from the City Engineer under By-law S-2, Elgin County issues its own oversize permits for county roads, and St. Thomas streets need a municipal permit from the city.
Your licensed electrical contractor. In Ontario, electrical work done for hire must be carried out by a Licensed Electrical Contractor under Ontario Regulation 570/05, so your electricians de-energize, disconnect and lock out the unit before we rig it, then reconnect it once it is set. On large units, the manufacturer field service handles dressing, oil and testing. We rig, move and set.
Yes. Our crew moves and sets switchgear lineups, generators, UPS units and electrical skids, and the same crew moves plant machinery for London manufacturers, from single machines to whole production lines. For machine moves and plant relocations, see our page on machinery movers in London, or send the equipment list for one combined quote.
No. A utility-owned transformer, such as a pad-mount unit that feeds a home or business, belongs to the local electricity distributor, and only the utility or a contractor it approves may move it. In the City of London that is London Hydro; elsewhere, contact the distributor named on your electricity bill. We move transformers that belong to plants and building owners.
No. We do not rent transformers or mobile substations, and we do not repair, rewind or oil-test them. For those, contact a transformer rental supplier or a repair shop. We can move a transformer to and from the repair shop, rig it out of a vault or electrical room, and set the repaired or replacement unit back on its pad in London, St. Thomas or nearby.
