FORT ST. JOHN – BC Hydro has completed a $29 million project to expand and upgrade the Fort St. John substation, helping to meet future electricity demand driven by industrial and residential growth.
Energy demand in Fort St. John, Taylor and surrounding area is expected to increase by about two per cent each year over the next 10 years.
“BC Hydro has invested about $50 million in the Fort St. John area over the last three years to upgrade the region’s aging assets and build new infrastructure. We’re expecting to invest another $60 million in the next five years,” said Chris O’Riley, Deputy CEO, BC Hydro. “These investments will ensure a safe and reliable supply of power for the growing community.”
Construction on the project began in 2014. Project work involved adding new distribution feeder circuits and a new transformer, replacing circuit breakers and control equipment, and upgrading the substation control room.
About 40 jobs were created over the three years of construction. More than a dozen local companies were involved in construction, including services for contracting, safety and engineering.
The Fort St. John substation originally went into service in the 1960’s and serves more than 16,000 customers.
Substations are an important part of the electrical system. They receive high voltage power from transmission lines and transform that power to a lower voltage so it can be distributed to homes and businesses. BC Hydro owns and operates more than 300 substations in BC.
BC Hydro is in the midst of a major capital plan that is investing, on average, $2 billion per year, over the next 10 years in the system. There are currently hundreds of BC Hydro capital projects underway that, together, make up one of the largest expansions of electrical infrastructure in BC’s history.
