Park Substation

Park Above Underground Electric Substation is the First in the United States



In 2006, Anaheim Public Utilities, in a partnership that included the city’s Community Services Department as well as some of the nation’s top energy contracting and consulting firms, dedicated Park Substation, the first underground electric substation in the United States. Adding to the uniqueness of the substation is the fact that it sits below Roosevelt Park, a 2-acre facility that serves the East Anaheim neighborhood.


The electric distribution station has the capacity to serve 25,000 current and future residential customers. It uses state-of-the-art technology in substation design with Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), which reduces the required space for the substation to approximately 30 percent of a conventional station design. The use of this technology is more common in Europe and Japan.

Tents in park area set up for ceremony
People inside underground substation

Quick Facts



  • Park Substation is the first underground electric substation built under a park in the United States.
  • The electric distribution station has the capacity to serve 25,000 current and future residential customers.
  • A two-acre play area sits above to provide a much needed recreational space for nearby neighbors.
  • To date, this site continues to be a model for other utilities to visit, tour, and educate themselves on how they can replicate such a facility. We have had visitors from Germany, China, and all over the U.S.
  • Dedicated in 2006.

Park Substation Resources