The Project includes:
- building a new enclosed above-ground electrical substation (Mount Pleasant Substation)
- connecting the new substation to two existing substations with new undeground 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission cables
- completing a horizontal directional drilled crossing beneath the bed of False Creek to install pipes that will join the Fairview Slopes and Yaletown segments of the underground transmission line
New Mount Pleasant Substation
The location for the new enclosed above ground substation is on BC Hydro-owned property on the southwest corner of West Sixth Avenue and Alberta Street in an area defined by the City of Vancouver as the Mount Pleasant Industrial Area.
The new enclosed substation will include:
- two transformers that will "step down" voltage from 230 kV (transmission voltage) to 12 kV (distribution voltage)
- associated electrical equipment
There will also be space for a third transformer to be placed in the substation when required in the future.
See the latest (June 2010) developments in design for the new substation:
New Underground Transmission Cables
After consideration of the engineering and environmental factors, as well as input from the public and the City of Vancouver, it was determined that the project route will be from the Sperling Substation to the new Mount Pleasant Substation to the Cathedral Square Substation (see Project Maps).
The new 230 kV transmission circuits will consist of three underground cables that will run beneath city streets, two city parks (David Lam Park and Charleson Park) and the bed of False Creek.