BC Hydro Annnounces $1 Billion Investment to Upgrade and Expand Surrey Electrical Grid
July 23, 2024
BC Hydro will construct approximately $1 billion in capital projects in Surrey over the next decade to upgrade and expand the electricity grid and provide clean power for homes, businesses and growing electrification and transportation needs.
“We must build out B.C.’s electrical system like never before to power our homes and businesses, to power a growing economy and to power our future,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “In Surrey, throughout the Lower Mainland and in communities across B.C., these construction projects will create thousands of good jobs over the next decade and ensure that people have access to clean, affordable and reliable electricity, when they need it and where they need it.”
In January, the Province announced BC Hydro’s updated 10-year capital plan, which contains $36 billion in regional and community infrastructure investments throughout B.C., for a 50% increase in investments over its previous capital plan. These new construction projects are forecast to support 10,500 to 12,500 jobs on average annually, and will increase and maintain BC Hydro’s capital investments as major projects, such as the Site C hydroelectric dam, are completed.
The plan reflects growing demand for electricity across sectors due to population growth and housing construction, and increased industrial development, as well as people and businesses switching from fossil fuels to clean electricity, among other factors.
“In growing cities like Surrey, where we are seeing substantial housing, building, transportation and industrial growth, we are embarking on significant upgrades to our electricity system, including investments in our transmission lines, new and expanded substation projects as well as major distribution investments to support underground and overhead infrastructure extensions to ensure we can continue to provide reliable and clean electricity to our customers,” said Chris O’Riley, president and CEO, BC Hydro. “We are also making important changes to our customer connections process to speed up timelines for newly constructed homes and buildings.”
Surrey is expected to become the biggest city in B.C. by 2029 and is seeing significant growth across residential, mixed-use and light-industrial sectors in City Centre and the Clayton and Campbell heights communities.
To meet record growth in these areas, BC Hydro is investing in several projects as part its 10-Year Capital Plan, including:
- building a new substation in Surrey Centre that will power 20,000 to 35,000 homes and be in service by the end of 2032;
- redeveloping the Scott Road substation with upgrades to the transmission connection to power an additional 10,000 to 17,500 homes by 2032;
- expanding the McLellan substation in two phases that are expected to be in service in 2026 and 2028, and will power an additional 40,000 to 70,000 homes; and
- building a new substation in Campbell Heights that will also power 20,000 to 35,000 homes and be in service by 2032.
In addition to these major projects, Surrey will also benefit from an additional $700-million investment to reinforce the transmission system, which will improve reliability and increase capacity across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Some of these key projects include:
- the Metro South Transmission project will reinforce the transmission system connecting Ingledow substation in Surrey to substations in Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond;
- the Fraser Valley Transmission project will upgrade the transmission connections in Surrey, Abbotsford and Chilliwack to provide additional capacity; and
- the Fraser Valley Capacitive Reinforcement project will add equipment at McLellan and Clayburn stations to ensure reliable energy supply across the region.
Investments are also being made in transmission and distribution infrastructure to enable operation of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain. That work is expected to be completed by spring 2025.
BC Hydro’s 10-year capital plan is a key part of Powering Our Future: B.C.’s Clean Energy Strategy. The strategy focuses on building an economy powered by clean energy, creating new jobs and opportunities, and keeping electricity affordable.
BC Hydro also recently launched a call for power to acquire approximately 3,000 gigawatt hours per year (GWh/y) of clean electricity. This is BC Hydro’s first competitive call for power in more than 15 years and will add 5% to its current supply, and will be the first in a series of calls for power as BC Hydro requires more power to electrify B.C.’s growing economy and reduce harmful pollution.
