Transmission towers running down the mountain across the water

More than 18,000 km of transmission lines

The transmission system moves electricity from generating stations to distribution substations, where it's transformed to lower voltages for customers. Our high-voltage transmission system has 18,286 kilometres of lines, from 60 kV to 500 kV.

Generation from the Interior of B.C. powers big demand in the southwest

The 500 kV bulk transmission network connects the major generators in the northern and southern Interior regions of the province, with the major load centres in heavily populated southwest B.C.

Electricity is supplied to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island from the Peace River hydroelectric system through Kelly Lake Substation, and from the Columbia River system through Nicola Substation. The relationship between installed generation capacity and electrical demand around the province drives the development and operation of BC Hydro’s bulk transmission system.

The new Clean Energy Act consolidated BC Hydro and BC Transmission Corporation to provide a single entity that will plan and deliver the clean energy required to meet British Columbia’s growing demand for electricity while fostering job creation throughout the province and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more about the integration of BC Hydro and the BC Transmission Corporation [PDF, 290 KB].

The 500 kV bulk transmission system is planned and operated so that at any time, even during peak load periods, the system can withstand an outage of any single transmission line without loss of electrical load. There are exceptions to this rule, such as areas served by single radial lines. The bulk transmission system complies with industry planning and operating standards to ensure a high level of reliability.