Mica Switchgear Project

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Meeting demand for generations

Clean, abundant electricity continues to be a key to British Columbia's economic prosperity and quality of life. B.C.'s current and growing demand for electricity is projected to rise by up to 30% over the next two decades. BC Hydro has taken important steps to secure our province's future electricity needs that include reinvesting in our aging heritage hydro assets to extend their lifespan.

Project updates

• Mica Unit 5 and Unit 6 Projects Update, August 2011 [PDF, 357 KB]

About Mica Generating Station

The Mica Generating Station, located 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke, is a cornerstone of BC Hydro's Columbia River generation system. Built in 1977, the underground power plant houses four generating units with a combined maximum capacity of 1,805 megawatts (MW) and a historic annual average power production of 7,202 gigawatt hours (GWh). Mica generation accounts for roughly 15% of BC Hydro's current installed capacity.

About the project: Replace and upgrade Mica Switchgear

BC Hydro is replacing aging switchgear equipment at Mica Generating Station to maintain generation reliability and installing additional equipment that will be needed to support the new fifth and sixth generating units currently being installed by the Mica Units 5 and 6 Project. The switchgear equipment includes 500 kilovolt circuit breakers and other equipment needed to safely conduct electrical energy.

The switchgear building was extended by 124 feet.

Switchgear equipment being hoisted.

To accommodate the additional equipment, the switchgear building was extended by 124 feet or roughly 1/3 of its current length (see photo above). The extension of the switchgear building occurred on a previously disturbed site within the BC Hydro generating station yard.

BC Hydro started project construction in 2010 and expects to complete the project in 2014. Construction is phased to ensure worker safety in the underground transformer chamber and allow continued operation of Mica Generating Station.