Ausenco was engaged by BC Hydro to provide distribution and substation engineering services through the Repeatable Design and Engineering Services (RDE) program throughout British Columbia. The RDE program develops replicable and sustainable solutions to improve and renew aging infrastructure, with the goal of providing continued reliable and safe power services to residents throughout the province.
The Challenge
BC Hydro engaged Ausenco to provide end-of-life and maintenance services to replace existing equipment, including design projects to expand and modify existing distributions systems.
Our team provided engineering services for both underground and overhead assets. The RDE project scope includes all aspects of the electrical distribution system (under 25 kV) to bring power to businesses and residents across the province. Since 2020, our team has provided design services for wood pole replacements, overhead switches, reclosers, capacitor banks, voltage regulators, conversions, and overhead crossings.
With BC Hydro operating 80,000 km of distribution lines throughout the province, different project locations required effective coordination and teamwork with hundreds of municipalities and Indigenous communities. The unique conditions of each area required designs that consider different safety, archaeological, and environmental considerations.
In addition to our distribution services, Ausenco offers extensive expertise in substation design, ranging from 25 kV up to 500 kV. To simplify planning and construction, we are using ready-made, building-block designs for the power substations. Instead of creating each substation from scratch, our team is utilising pre-approved designs for major components of the substations that can be mixed and matched to suit different locations. This approach allows BC Hydro to streamline their projects while maintaining consistent quality across all installations. This strategy supports the safe and efficient deployment of new power facilities to meet community needs, delivering reliable electricity with minimal disruption to customers.
The better way
Ausenco has a long working history with BC Hydro dating back over 50 years, reliably providing safe, efficient, and quality design services and construction support for hundreds of their projects.
Each assignment the Ausenco team tackles under the RDE Program has its individual challenges and nuances. Our team can pull expertise in-house for civil structural and electrical engineering, sustainability, and Indigenous engagement to assist with projects, allowing us to successfully mitigate complex challenges.
Outcomes and achievements
During the first three years of services for the RDE program we have worked on over 800 individual underground and overhead distribution assignments, and more than 100 substations. This renewed infrastructure will provide urban and remote communities with more sustainable and reliable power. Looking ahead, Ausenco has the potential to complete over 500 pole replacements as part of our continued support for BC Hydro’s infrastructure renewal goals—further enhancing the safety and reliability of the province’s distribution network.
Ausenco is proud to be a long-term service provider of BC Hydro, keeping the lights on reliably for people and businesses across British Columbia.