BC Hydro spending $200M to modernize and expand electric grid

BC Hydro -- which provides electricity to 95% of the province's population -- is spending $200 million on improvements to meet tough 2030 emission reduction targets.

The money is part of a seven-year master services agreement with Wood consulting engineers out of Vancouver and Calgary to provide the engineering, procurement and construction management to modernize power lines, substations and transmission and distribution lines.

The modifications to the network will provide cleaner and more reliable energy to communities across the province.

BC Hydro's service area is vast.

In fact, it covers most of the province expect for four small pockets -- the City of Penticton, the City of Nelson, the City of New Westminster and the FortisBC region in the very Southern Interior from Princeton to Kelowna to Kaslo in the north to the Canada-US border in the south.

West Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops are in the BC Hydro service area, as is the rest of the province for a population served of over 5 million.

The province's 2030 targets include a 40% reduction in emissions for all sectors from 2007 levels.

BC Hydro is already well on its way with 98% of its power coming from clean, renewable sources.

91% of that clean, renewable power is from 30 hydro electric plants in BC, harnessing natural moving and falling water to produce mechanical and electrical energy.

In addition, BC Hydro has 31 generation stations and 80,000 kilometres of power lines to distribute that electricity.

The other small portion of clean energy comes from wind, solar and biomass.

The 2% that doesn't fall under clean and renewable is natural gas, which is only used by BC Hydro as a backup to produce electricity in times of heavy demand.

"We have been working with BC Hydro for over 15 years with a history of successful project delivery," said Justin Jackson, a senior vice-president with Wood consulting engineers.

"Our unrivalled knowledge and expertise in British Columbia have positioned us well to partner with BC Hydro and deliver the modifications required to reach their emissions reduction targets."

Scotland-based Wood employs 35,000 people in 60 countries, including teams in Vancouver and Calgary.

BC Hydro is a provincial Crown corporation, which means it's owned the the provincial government and the people of BC.