Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission
Big growth, big demand
The Interior to Lower Mainland (ILM) Transmission Project will expand the capacity of the essential transmission circuits that bring power from generation resources in the north and southern Interior of the province so that they can continue to reliably deliver clean and renewable energy to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
Project status and updates
British Columbia is growing and so is our need for electricity. Even with conservation, the demand for electricity in B.C. is expected to grow by about 20 to 40 per cent over the next 20 years — the majority of it in the Lower Mainland.
Increasing demand, changing patterns of use and aging equipment have put the transmission grid under pressure. While the system continues to operate reliably today, it is reaching capacity in some areas and needs to be expanded. The ILM Project will help ensure that homes and businesses in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island continue to receive clean and reliable energy.
What's new
- On May 3, 2013, the BC Environmental Assessment Office granted an amendment [PDF, 62.3 KB] to the ILM environmental assessment certificate. BC Hydro had applied for an amendment to change the alignment in the Spuzzum area [PDF, 473 KB] back to the original route.
- Construction is underway along the ILM route. Please see the ILM Project Construction Update March 2013 [PDF, 753 KB] for more detailed information.
- In the Westwood Plateau area of Coquitlam, activities include the removal of logged trees from the right-of-way along Plateau Boulevard and Pinetree Way to access Lougheed Highway. Please see the construction notice [PDF, 502 KB] for more details.
