BCTC to Invest $3.2 Billion in Transmission Network

British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) has filed with the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) its third annual Capital Plan that anticipates investments of $3.2 billion in B.C.'s transmission assets over the next 10 years.

"The B.C. economy is growing rapidly and demand for electricity is increasing," said Jane Peverett, BCTC president and CEO. "This investment is required to operate the 18,000 km electricity grid that moves electricity around the province and to expand it to meet our province's current and future needs. Transmission infrastructure is a vital backbone of our growing economy and powers virtually every home and business in the province.”

BCTC is planning for the future by making the most of innovation by focusing on three areas that will increase the power transfer capability of existing assets, extend the life of assets and improve system reliability and security.

"As the manager of a complex and high-value transmission grid, BCTC is introducing technology innovations that provide improvements to the performance of the system and allow for a greater utilization of our existing assets," said Julius Pataky, BCTC Vice-President of System Planning and Asset Management. "With this plan, BCTC is leading the way to ensuring the province continues to benefit from one of the most advanced energy networks in the world."

BCTC's F2007/08 - F2016/17 Capital Plan outlines the capital investments for the next two years, and provides an outlook of potential investments through to 2017. The plan focuses on ensuring adequate transmission capacity to meet customer requirements and maintaining system performance and reliability. It is filed for approval with the BCUC which regulates the province's electricity utilities on behalf of B.C. ratepayers. Details of the capital investment plan are available at www.bctc.com.