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Elkford low-likelihood outage risk

BC Hydro crews working on a transmission line north of Elkford. BC Hydro crews working on a transmission line north of Elkford.

We are committed to delivering safe, reliable power to our customers.

We've identified a low-likelihood transmission outage risk that could affect the District of Elkford.

We estimate this rare outage could happen once every 36 to 82 years. It could be as quick as a few minutes to no more than two hours.

B.C. Utilities Commission standards require BC Hydro to notify communities when this risk exists, even when the likelihood is low.

We're working to reduce this risk through a project that will add equipment to avoid this type of outage and further improve reliability to Elkford's service.

What's new

We're hosting two open houses in July to talk to Elkford residents about this low likelihood outage risk and what we're doing to minimize it.

In-person open house

Date: Monday, July 20, 2026
Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. MT
Location:
Elkford Community Centre
750 Fording Drive
Elkford, B.C.
V0B 0A3
 

Virtual open house

Date: Monday, July 27, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. MT
Location: Microsoft Teams
Please register at projects@bchydro.com.

There's potential for an outage to Elkford under these conditions:

  • Demand for electricity is high;
  • Power is being exported to Alberta; and
  • A contingency, such as a lightning strike, occurs on the high-voltage transmission line coming from the West Kootenay

If that happens, an automatic system would briefly shut off power to Elkford and three coal mines to prevent an outage to the entire East Kootenay. This outage could be as quick as a few minutes to no more than two hours.

This automatic system has been in place since 2013 and has never been activated.

BC Hydro's mission is to safely provide our customers with reliable, affordable, clean electricity.

In January 2026, we began planning a project to add equipment that would avoid this outage risk. We expect to have the equipment installed by 2031.

This project is in addition to other work underway to improve power reliability in Elkford.

A December 2025 investigation found ways we can improve reliability. Some of these improvements were already planned and have now been expedited. Other improvements were identified through our investigation and feedback from the community.

Tell us what you think

We want to hear your questions and feedback. Share your thoughts on the Elkford low-likelihood outage risk by completing the form below. The comment period is open until August 21, 2026.

The personal information, including optional name/email/affiliation, collected in the Elkford low-likelihood outage risk feedback form by BC Hydro is collected under the authority of Section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for BC. The personal information is collected for the purpose of gathering feedback on a low-likelihood outage risk identified for the District of Elkford. If you have any questions concerning how your personal information is handled, please contact Sally MacDonald at sally.macdonald@bchydro.com.
 

Get in touch

If you'd like to learn more about the project, please contact us at:

Email: projects@bchydro.com
Phone: 604 623 4472
Toll free: 1 866 647 3334