New $49M hydro substation planned next to Kenna Cartwright Park

KAMLOOPS – The east side of Kenna Cartwright Park will look a little different with a new hydro substation planned for the area adjacent to the Bunker Road area.

B.C. Hydro and the City of Kamloops have reached an agreement for the energy provider to acquire land from the city to construct a new substation to help meet the growing electricity demand.

"Over the next 20 years, the population of the city is expected grow by 25 per cent. Much of this growth will be in the southwest area of Kamloops and we've been working closely with B.C. Hydro to identify a site for the new substation to ensure the electrical needs of the region are met," Mayor Peter Milobar says in a release.

The new substation will be built in an industrial area off of Bunker Road, adjacent to the city’s public works yard and Kenna Cartwright Park. The site is close to existing transmission lines and is expected to have low level environmental and archaeological impacts.

Construction of the new substation is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2016 and is expected to be in service by 2018. The cost of the project is estimated at $49 million. B.C. Hydro is currently working on the design and will host an information session for the public either later this year or early next year.

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