Project Background

New underground transmission circuit

New equipment will be installed at New Westminster Substation (located at Ovens Avenue and Colbourne Street). A new 60 kilovolt, 2.8 km, underground transmission circuit will connect New Westminster substation to an existing BC Hydro transmission line located near Lakefield Drive in the right-of-way near the south edge of Robert Burnaby Park.

The transmission line route was developed after considerable consultation with the City of Burnaby, the City of New Westminster and the New Westminster Electric Utility Commission. The route avoids any impacts to Robert Burnaby Park and the underground circuit can be installed primarily under roadways.

As shown in the Project Map, the new underground circuit will exit from New Westminster Substation then proceed underground as follows: west down Colbourne St. to Glover Ave., south down Glover to 2nd St., west down 2nd to 19th Ave., south down 19th to 4th St., west down 4th and Lakefield Drive to the existing right-of-way. The circuit will then be brought overhead to connect into one of the existing transmission lines in the right-of-way.

Three cable vaults will also need to be installed at intervals along the route. The first manhole will be on 2nd Street near 10th Avenue, the second one on 2nd Street near 17th Avenue and the third one on 4th Street near Wedgewood Street in Burnaby.

For a description of the construction process, see What's Being Done.

New Westminster Substation

At New Westminster Substation, all work will take place within the substation fence. A property next to the substation, which is owned by the City of New Westminster, will be used as the "laydown" area for equipment and supplies.

The work includes:

• Replacing two of the three transformers with new larger transformers
• Installing the other equipment needed to connect the new 60 kV transmission circuit
• Replacing other substation equipment that is approaching end of life