Prince George to Terrace Capacitors Project
Power outage alert
A planned power outage will take place September 15 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., covering the communities of Smithers, Telkwa, the Hazeltons, Kitwanga, and nearby areas. We've sent notifications to all impacted customers who we have contact information for. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we complete critical work on our transmission system. If you have questions about this outage, please contact us at projects@bchydro.com or 1 866 647 3334.
What's new
In late October we completed our 2023 work at Saranovich (near Vanderhoof) and Palling (near Burns Lake) capacitor stations. We also received Agricultural Land Commission approval to use a site near Walcott Road for the Walcott capacitor station (near Telkwa). Progress in 2023 and our plans for 2024 at each capacitor station site are outlined below.
Saranovich Capacitor Station (Capacitor Station 1)
In 2023 we:
- Cleared the site
- Completed construction of the access roads and installed a gate
- Installed a 500 kV transmission tower under the transmission line
In 2024 we'll focus on preparing the site for station construction by removing the topsoil and levelling the site with fill material.
Palling Capacitor Station (Capacitor Station 2)
In 2023 we:
- Completed the primary access road and gates
- Installed a 500 kV transmission tower under the transmission line
As with the Saranovich Capacitor Station project, in 2024 we'll focus on preparing the site for station construction and levelling the site.
Walcott Capacitor Station (Capacitor Station 3)
In 2023 we determined a location for the third capacitor station along Walcott Road near the town of Telkwa. In October, the Agricultural Land Commission approved non-farm use of the land for the capacitor station. In 2024 we'll:
- Clear the site
- Construct the permanent access road
- Install a 500 kV tower under the transmission line
- Relocate a 138 kV transmission line
We're working to increase the capacity of the existing 450 km, 500 kV transmission lines from Prince George to Terrace by constructing three new capacitor stations through the Prince George to Terrace Capacitors project:
- Saranovich Capacitor Station 1 near Vanderhoof (CAP1)
- Palling Capacitor Station 2 near Burns Lake (CAP2)
- Walcott Capacitor Station 3 near Telkwa (CAP3)
We're also adding a transformer to Skeena Substation near Terrace to decrease the 500 kV electricity to voltages suitable for our customers. The work is entirely within the substation fence and expansion is not required.
Prince George to Terrace Capacitors project map
Select the map [PDF, 1.8 MB] to view it at a larger size.
A number of industries in the North Coast such as mining and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) developments have requested power from BC Hydro. We're proposing to increase capacity along the existing 500 kV transmission line between Prince George and Terrace to meet the customer needs.
A capacitor station contains equipment to boost the amount of electricity that a transmission line can carry. These stations are fenced, outdoor facilities that must be constructed on flat land, adjacent to or near the existing transmission line. Capacitor stations can significantly increase the capacity of the existing transmission line in a cost-effective, safe, and reliable way.
We started constructing Saranovich and Palling capacitor stations in October 2022 and will begin clearing at Walcott Capacitor Station in January 2024.
The expected project in-service date is 2027/2028.
Reports and documents
- Project Map – 2023 November [PDF, 5.3 MB]
Contact us
If you'd like to learn more about the project, please contact us at:
Email: projects@bchydro.com
Phone: 604 623 4472
Toll free: 1 866 647 3334