The station, which was built by GEC-Alstom, can transfer a maximum power of 150 MW at a DC voltage of 42 kV.

The McNeill station was also notable for operating with an exceptionally low Short Circuit Ratio (SCR).

Most HVDC schemes using line-commutated converters operate with a SCR of at least 3, but the McNeill scheme was designed to operate with an Effective Short Circuit Ratio (ESCR – a measure which subtracts the harmonic filters from the evaluation of SCR and is more meaningful on very weak AC systems) of less than 1.0 on the Saskatchewan side.

This was a significant advantage since the extremely low short circuit ratio required the reactive power to be controlled within very tight limits,[1] leading to frequent switching operations.

The valves are cooled by a mixture of de-ionised water and ethylene glycol, which does not freeze at a temperature of -50 °C.