More Power! BC Hydro Transmission Upgrades Underway

UBC’s peak demand for electricity continues to increase and, by the fall of 2021, it is forecast to exceed the maximum that BC Hydro’s current infrastructure can accommodate: 55 Mega Volt Amps (MVA). BC Hydro has approved a new plan to expand its transmission infrastructure in anticipation of UBC’s forecast demand. Once the work is complete in the Fall of 2020, BC Hydro will be able increase UBC’s peak demand to 65 MVA.

The plan primarily involves upgrades to BC Hydro’s Camosun and Sperling Substations (both off campus). UBC’s Energy and Water Services’ long-term plan is to manage UBC’s electrical demand below 62MVA, our campus’ present infrastructure limit, by exploring further on-campus electrical co-generation and on-going demand-side management initiatives.