VICTORIA — Energy Minister Bill Bennett says a new hydro transmission line from Merritt to Coquitlam, B.C., improves power distribution to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
BC Hydro announced the completion of the 247-kilometre, 500-kilovolt power line project that stretches from the grasslands of the southern Interior, over mountains, across the Fraser River and into the Vancouver area.
Bennett says the new line improves Hydro's capabilities to deliver power from B.C.'s dams into the Lower Mainland where the majority of British Columbians live.
He says the new line is the first major upgrade of BC Hydro's transmission system in 30 years, providing a vital link as power demands increase.
Hydro President Jessica McDonald says the transmission line is one of 550 infrastructure projects undertaken over the past four years.
The final cost of the transmission line project is expected to be $743 million, about $18 million above Hydro's original budget.
