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West Kelowna transmission line delays frustrating for council

Plans to twin existing transmission line from Merritt appear to be too costly
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BC Hydro will not continue with a second transmission line project for West Kelowna, despite an announcement made in 2015 by former B.C. premier Christy Clark that the project would proceed. (File photo)

City councillors in West Kelowna voiced their frustration to BC Hydro officials on Tuesday night after it was revealed a proposed plan to build a secondary transmission line to West Kelowna continues to change.

At the meeting, BC Hydro stakeholder relations manager Rachelle Trent informed council that a decision to twin an existing transmission line between Merritt and West Kelowna was no longer the most feasible option.

Instead, she said the provincial agency recently completed a new six-month feasibility study to look at ways it could upgrade the existing line instead of building a new one from Merritt.

含羞草研究社淭he West Kelowna transmission project is in BC Hydro含羞草研究社檚 current capital plan and continues to move forward. Both new transmission line alternatives (building a second transmission line) and a resiliency alternative (increasing the resilience of the current line) are on the table,含羞草研究社 wrote Dag Sharman, community relations manager for BC Hydro.

He said BC Hydro is also looking at whether it is feasible to build a secondary transmission line into West Kelowna from other areas, including a new transmission line on the west side of Okanagan Lake, connecting Westbank to Vernon, a transmission line connecting Westbank to Nicola and/or a new transmission line across Okanagan Lake, connecting Westbank to the FortisBC system.

含羞草研究社淏C Hydro understands that redundancy is a priority for the communities and we want to confirm that building a new, second transmission line is being considered,含羞草研究社 wrote Sharman.

含羞草研究社淪ince the leading alternative was identified in 2016, the cost estimate to build the new transmission line has increased. It含羞草研究社檚 prudent that we review the cost estimate and relook at all alternatives available to us to ensure we make the decision that will ensure we continue to deliver clean, reliable electricity to the West Kelowna and Peachland areas while keeping rates low for our customers.含羞草研究社

READ MORE: Westside to finally get second electricity transmission line

West Kelowna city councillor Stephen Johnston said the delays have been frustrating.

含羞草研究社淭his project has been a conversation with the Central Okanagan Regional District since 2007,含羞草研究社 said Johnston.

含羞草研究社淭o get through this whole process since 2015, and then throw it all back on the table and say 含羞草研究社榊eah, we含羞草研究社檙e actually going to look at this whole resiliency thing含羞草研究社 four years after the project was initiated, one can含羞草研究社檛 help but think were just being monkeyed around.含羞草研究社

As part of the possible improvements, Trent said culverts would be built around existing transmission poles in grasslands along the line to help prevent them from catching on fire in dry conditions.

Improving access roads around the line in the event of an emergency and improving the line含羞草研究社檚 drainage from ice and wind were other proposed improvements.

After the announcement, councillor Doug Findlater said improving access roads around the line would含羞草研究社檛 fix the problem in the event of an emergency.

含羞草研究社淢any of our equipment failures have been due to wildfire. These incidents have been very local and high in the mountains.含羞草研究社

含羞草研究社淒uring these instances, BC Hydro officials have driven on little access roads in the middle of the night trying to find these failures.

含羞草研究社淭hey couldn含羞草研究社檛 find them.含羞草研究社

Councilor Jason Friesen said more effort needed to be made by hydro officials to solve the problem.

含羞草研究社淲e have one line and we have safety issues,含羞草研究社 said Friesen.

含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 want to hear that you have our best interests on this project, because you don含羞草研究社檛.

含羞草研究社淲e have patients that are on oxygen tanks that last for two hours. We have elderly people that are lying in beds that can含羞草研究社檛 afford to get cold or that can含羞草研究社檛 afford to get pneumonia or they含羞草研究社檒l die.含羞草研究社

Sharman said the Crown corporation will make a final decision on how to advance the energy project next year.



connor.trembley@kelownacapnews.com

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