BC Hydro Drops Proposed New Power Line From P.G. to Terrace
Monday, May 6, 2013 @ 3:58 AM
BC Hydro diagram shows considered new line (dashed line) that is no longer on the project list.
Prince George, B.C. – BC Hydro is not going to move forward with the proposed new 500kV transmission line from Prince George to Kitimat via Terrace.
BC Hydro called this the “North Coast Transmission line” and to be clear, this is NOT the NorthWest Transmission line, which is being built along highway 37.
BC Hydro says it continues to have discussion with industry about electricity needs for potential projects in the north but based on what it knows right now, will not be moving forward with the North Coast project which proposed a new 500kV line that would have run parallel to the existing line from the Williston substation to Terrace.
In a letter to Prince George Mayor Shari Green and Council, BC Hydro’s Senior Stakeholder Engagement Specialist Lesley Wood says B.C. Hydro “will not proceed with any further studies into the NCT at this time. Nor at this time, will we be looking further into acquiring statutory rights of way over private or Crown land for a new 500kV transmission line between Prince George and Terrace.”
All is not lost though, as B.C. Hydro says it anticipates there will still be a need for two other projects. One is the P.G. to Terrace Capacitors project which would see three capacitor stations built along the existing 500 kV line from Williston Sub Station in Prince George to the Skeena Sub station in Terrace. This project would increase the line’s capacity by 60%. The three new capacitor sites would likely see one built near Vanderhoof, one near Burns Lake, and one South of Telkwa.
The other project that is moving forward is the upgrade to the line between Kitimat and Terrace. That work is expected to be complete by November of this year.
Comments
So the burning question is “Why”. What has changed in Hydro’s previous projections?
This is certainly a common question I have with all these announcements and I would think that there are others who have the same type of question.
They figured out the refinery will never happen?
Really Gus! Maybe Hydro thinks the NDP is going to get in and we know what happened last time they were in.
The added capacitors and upgrades to the kitimat line also will allow Rio Tinto to deliver more power into the Hydro system than what they are able now. Added generation to be installed maybe?
First announcement of the new policy of ‘austerity’ that’s coming right after the election.
I think that seamutt hit the nail on the head.
We know that Rio Tinto is working on the completion of the Kemano (2) Tunnel ostensibly for maintenance reasons. Tie this in with the upgrade to the Terrace, Kitimat line, and the huge mining development going in on highway 37, and you have to ask the question. Where will the power for highway 37 come from???
We can rest assured that business interests know exactly what is taking place. We the people of course have trouble seeing anything from under a mushroom, so they will let us know after the die is cast.
Have a nice day.
probably enough independent producers coming online in the Northwest that another line is not needed.
From what I have found, it appears that there are a few things at play. One that hydro has been cautioning about is that the LNG requirement for Kitimat was an unknown. Will they generate their own energy frm the Natural Gas or not. They may have now received confirmation of the energy need and found it was less than required.
There are also opinions, as palopu writes, from the potential users along Hwy 37, that there is not enough capacity there for ALL the planned projects.
Well, given today’s knowledge, it is likely that several of the projects will not go ahead. The Major Projects Inventory is notorious for overestimating the number of projects and their timelines.
So, as always …. why should the plebs get informed? It is the order of the day to give us the opportunity to guess. Sort of like Hydro’s guesstimating. LOL
Along with what I said earlier I should add that an upgrade to the line between Terrace and Kitimat is most likely required to supply the LNG plants.
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