North Montney Region Electrification
What's new
We have placed a temporary hold on activities associated with the North Montney Region Electrification project. If you’re a prospective or current customer interested in connecting your facilities to our grid in the North Montney region, please contact your Key Account Manager or email our business and economic development team.
Electrification of industry is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting the economic development, energy and climate action targets in the Government of B.C.'s CleanBC plan. In support of the government's plan, we're exploring the feasibility of extending our transmission infrastructure into the North Montney region. This region is seeing considerable development due to its large natural gas reserves.
Other large industrial operations may also consider locating here and some have already expressed interest in connecting into BC Hydro’s grid. However, the absence of transmission infrastructure in this region is a barrier to them doing so.
We've initiated the North Montney Region Electrification study to assess what's required to bring transmission infrastructure to the region. The proposed project would entail the construction of a 230 kilovolt transmission line from a BC Hydro substation in the vicinity of either the GM Shrum or the Site C Generating Stations.
Conceptual map – June 2020 [PDF, 398 KB]
As illustrated in the above map, both corridors would end at a proposed new substation in the vicinity of the Wonowon community. The exact transmission line route and substation location will be based on multiple factors, such as consultation with Indigenous Nations, geotechnical and environmental considerations, engagement with stakeholders and potential customer locations.
By using clean and renewable electricity instead of fossil fuels to power industrial operations in the North Montney region, we estimate this could avoid over 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year – roughly equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road – and avoid increases in local air contaminants, such as sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides.
In addition to the environmental benefits, electrifying the North Montney region is expected to provide economic and social benefits for local Indigenous Nations and others living, working and doing business in the region through construction jobs, apprenticeships and other training, employment and procurement opportunities.
We're in the early study phase of the project assessing interest from potential customers and gathering information about the transmission corridors. Should this project move ahead, we will provide more information about the schedule at that time.
Contact
projects@bchydro.com
604 623 4472
Toll free: 1 866 647 3334
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