On behalf of the Fernie Substation Upgrade Project, BC Hydro is pleased to contribute gifts worth close to $5,000 to support the City of Fernie in hosting the National Western Region Mine Rescue Competition. BC Hydro contributed water bottles for competitors at the event, which is being held September 7-9 in Fernie.

“We’re glad to have BC Hydro partner with us again to bring this important event to Fernie,” said Mayor Mary Giuliano. “While BC Hydro is making important improvements in our community this year, I’m pleased to see this support for a valuable safety exercise.”

The National Western Region Mine Rescue Competition aligns with BC Hydro’s core value of safety. BC Hydro recognizes and supports the safe practices of others, and the mine rescue competition demonstrates the importance of safety in any workplace. BC Hydro works hard to be accountable for safety through leading, engaging and mentoring others, and is proud to support the City of Fernie in bringing this valuable event to the Elk Valley.

The Fernie Substation was built in the early 1970s and is reaching capacity. It’s old and needs upgrading with new technology and equipment. This will allow BC Hydro to continue providing clean reliable power to the community–that’s about 5,000 homes and businesses–now and in the future. Work on the substation upgrade project began in September 2016 and the project is expected to be complete in spring 2018.

Project work is proceeding on schedule. In June, the substation’s new 31,000kg transformer was delivered from Korea and we worked to install it. A mobile transformer was delivered in August and it will soon be providing power to Fernie and area for the remainder of the project.

Brick cladding on the substation’s new control building was completed this summer and we’ve received a number of positive comments about the heritage look.

This architectural detail was added during the project’s planning stages through consultation with the City of Fernie’s Design Review Panel to enhance the look of the substation with design accents consistent with Fernie’s downtown heritage theme.

Lead image: Representatives of the Fernie Substation Upgrade Project and the National Western Region Mine Rescue Competition meet to recognize BC Hydro’s contribution to this week’s event. Pictured, left to right: Rescue Competition coordinator Elke Weber; Mayor Mary Giuliano; Fernie Substation Upgrade Project representatives Zoe Gravelle, Nupqu Development Corporation; Diane Tammen; and Christopher Stevenson, both BC Hydro. BC Hydro photo

BC Hydro

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