Dawson Creek/Chetwynd Area Transmission

Electricity demand is growing

Electricity demand in the South Peace/Dawson Creek area is growing due to natural gas exploration and development in nearby Montney shale gas deposits. Over the next 10 years, annual load growth in South Peace is expected to be about 10 times that of the rest of B.C.

Meeting demand

The Dawson Creek/Chetwynd Area Transmission (DCAT) Project is designed to help meet the forecasted high increase in electricity demand in the area.

The project will consist of:

• A new substation (Sundance) located about 19 kilometres (km) east of Chetwynd, near Highway 97,
• A new 230 kilovolt (kV) double circuit overhead transmission circuit approximately 60 km long, from Sundance Substation to Bear Mountain Terminal (BMT). BMT is located about 12 km west of the City of Dawson Creek,
• Expansion of BMT and Dawson Creek Substations (DAW),
• A new 230 kV double circuit overhead transmission circuit 12 km long, between BMT and DAW,
• A passive reflector near Chetwynd Substation, to facilitate communication between Sundance Substation and other parts of the transmission system.

View the project map [PDF, 355 KB].

What's new

On April 25, 2013, the BC Utilities Commission granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity [PDF, 99 KB] for the DCAT project. With this regulatory approval in place, BC Hydro can now complete the required permitting processes and finalize right-of-way agreements. Construction is planned to start later this summer.