Mica Switchgear Project

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Helping meet BC Hydro's reliability and safety objectives

BC Hydro is planning to replace aging switchgear equipment at Mica Generating Station to maintain generation reliability.

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.

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 proposes to replace aging switchgear equipment at Mica Generating Station to maintain generation reliability. The switchgear equipment includes 500 kilovolt circuit breakers and other equipment needed to safely conduct electrical energy.

To accommodate the additional equipment, the switchgear building will be extended by 124 feet or roughly 1/3 of its current length (see artist's rendering on the left). The extension of the switchgear building will occur on a previously disturbed site within the BCH generating station yard.  See the Mica Switchgear Project update [PDF, 127 Kb] for more details about the project.

BC Hydro expects to start project construction in 2010 and take three years to complete. Construction will be phased to allow the continued operation of Mica Generating Station.