BC Hydro is spending $13.4 million to replace outdated equipment at its small substation on Park Ave. directly behind Canadian Tire.
“The project also includes a new control building with new outdoor equipment. This will replace the existing metal-clad structure on site,” said BC Hydro official Kevin Aquino of the work.
The switchgear equipment being replaced gives BC Hydro the flexibility to redirect the flow of electricity between different circuits, he said.
“This helps our crews with maintenance, equipment failures and outage response,” Aquino added.
The work is being performed by BC Hydro crews and contractors, with crews replacing the switchgear and structure and Prince George-based IDL Projects working on the control building.
Completion is expected in summer 2017.
This smaller substation, called the Kalum substation, is connected to both BC Hydro’s Skeena and Terrace substations and serves the City of Terrace.
The Skeena substation is the largest in this area which receives electricity from BC Hydro’s main 500kV line coming in from the east and then distributes power south to Kitimat and points elsewhere.
It’s also the starting point for BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line, completed in 2014, which runs power to the north to service, for example, the Red Chris mine.
The 138kV line running south from the Skeena substation to Kitimat is to be replaced as part of a large project, and the clearing for that began last year.
The main construction is set to begin this year.