West Kelowna Transmission Project

About 25,500 customers or 70,000 people and businesses are served by the Westbank Substation, which is supplied by a single 138-kilovolt transmission line from Nicola Substation near Merritt. The existing 80-kilometre transmission line runs through rugged, remote terrain that's susceptible to wildfires.

An interconnection to the FortisBC system in Kelowna is the leading alternative for the West Kelowna Transmission Project. This alternative, known as Alternative 3e, includes a transmission line from Westbank Substation in West Kelowna to Okanagan Lake, a crossing of Okanagan Lake, and an interconnection to FortisBC's system in downtown Kelowna. Alternative 3e provides several benefits over Alternative 2 (a new transmission line from Nicola Substation to Westbank Substation) including:

• Providing an independent second source of power to Westbank Substation with lower risk of outages due to wildfires;
• Minimizing impacts to sylix Okanagan Nation and other First Nations' traditional territory by building in an urban area;
• Aligning with BC Hydro's Environmental Principles of minimizing habitat loss and fragmentation by eliminating the need for a long linear greenfield development;
• Avoiding the need for a new right-of-way on private ranch lands; and,
• It could be in service sooner than other alternatives.
   

We'll now work to refine the details of the interconnection and routing.

Prior to selecting Alternative 3e as the leading alternative, we considered four alternatives:

• Alternative 1: Connect Westbank Substation to Vernon Terminal Substation.
• Alternative 2: Connect Westbank Substation to Nicola Substation.
• Alternative 3 (five options): Connect Westbank Substation to the FortisBC system.
• Resiliency Alternative
   

We identified Alternative 2 as the leading alternative in 2016 but when costs increased more than expected for that alternative, we re-evaluated the other alternatives.

After further study, Alternative 1 and the Resiliency Alternative were eliminated as Alternative 1 posed the highest level of safety, environmental, socio-economic, cost, geotechnical and wildfire risk and the Resiliency Alternative couldn't meet the objectives of the project.

We then worked with FortisBC to evaluate five Alternative 3 options before identifying the new leading alternative.

The West Kelowna Transmission Project will strengthen and reinforce the transmission network delivering clean, reliable electricity to Westbank First Nation, West Kelowna, Peachland, and the north edge of Summerland.

The project requires a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience (CPCN) application to be submitted to the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC). Information on the CPCN process is available on the BCUC website.

As part of project planning, we've working in collaboration with the sylix Okanagan Nation to complete environmental and socio-economic studies to investigate archaeological potential, wildlife and wildlife habitat, vegetation, soil characteristics, traffic, and noise. Additional studies are expected as the project advances.

We're working to develop a schedule for the interconnection to the FortisBC system in Kelowna and will provide an update in early 2025.

Taking the time to thoroughly plan our projects is a key component of our project lifecycle process. This helps us ensure a cost-effective solution that will continue to deliver clean, reliable electricity to local communities and help keep rates low for our customers.

Through a new relationship model based on mutual respect and collaboration called the Enduring Relationship, BC Hydro is committed to working with the syilx Okanagan Nation on projects within Okanagan territory and to ensuring that impacts to Aboriginal rights and/or title are identified and addressed. Specifically, BC Hydro is working with a Project Review Committee comprised of Okanagan communities and led by Westbank First Nation to better understand and address the environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic impacts of the West Kelowna Transmission Project and to make shared decisions about routing.

We've been engaging with our stakeholders, discussing the project with all levels of government, and undertaking various studies and assessments throughout project planning. We'll continue these activities as the project advances.

We'll host open houses in the community to discuss and help refine the leading alternative in early 2025. The open houses will be communicated on this page as well as in the community.

We look forward to continuing to work with all interested parties as the project moves forward. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments about the project.