West Kamloops Substation

What's new

This substation went into service November 2018.

Restoration work in Kenna Cartwright Park is underway, and is weather dependent.

We're constructing underground duct banks (underground concrete housing) for power cables that will connect the new West Kamloops substation to the West End neighbourhood. This work is planned to be completed summer 2019.

New West Kamloops Substation distribution work map

Communities affected

The substation is located in southwest Kamloops in a light industrial area close to existing power lines. It is located off Bunker Road – adjacent to the City Works Yard and Kenna Cartwright Park.

There will be new power lines in Kenna Cartwright Park and underground cables installed under Hillside Drive, Summit Road, Fernie Drive and Lombard Street in the West End neighbourhood.

Recreational area notices

To ensure the safety of construction crews and park users, the construction areas will be fenced. At times, we'll need to temporarily close trails.

Construction notices will be posted in the park to keep you updated on activities.

Schedule

The substation went into service in November 2018.

Activity	Timing
Property acquisition	Completed
Preliminary design	Completed
Community information meeting	Completed
Partial site clearing by the city of Kamloops	Completed
Final design	Completed
Substation site preparation	Completed
Tree clearing for new lines and communications tower	Completed
Substation construction	Completed
Construction of new lines	Completed
Substation in-service	Completed
Distribution and transmission line work completion	Completed
Distribution cable work completion	Summer 2019

What's happening

The project involves building a new open air substation – the West Kamloops Substation – and connecting it to the existing electrical systems.

The West Kamloops Substation includes:

Two transformers.
A control building.
Electrical equipment and steel structures to support power lines.
Three new communications towers – one on site, another in the park, and one at an existing substation about 4 km away – making it possible for the substation to communicate with the rest of the electricity system.
New distribution lines – overhead in the park and underground in some city streets.
New overhead transmission lines to connect to the existing transmission lines in Kenna Cartwright Park.

Why we're doing it

The demand for electricity is growing in the City of Kamloops due to economic development and population growth. The West Kamloops Substation is being constructed to provide an increased supply of clean, reliable electricity to the city.

Currently, Kamloops gets its electricity from the Douglas Substation on Douglas Road and Brocklehurst Substation on Parkcrest Avenue.

Within a few years, these substations will not be able to reliably meet Kamloops' electricity demands.