Upper Lillooet Hydro LP

The Upper Lillooet Hydro Project is located in the upper reaches of the Pemberton valley, north of Pemberton, BC. The project consists of two run-of-river hydroelectric generating facilities, Upper Lillooet and Boulder Creek, totalling approximately 130MW. Both facilities are connected to BC Hydro via a 73 kilometer 230kV transmission line the traverses the steep mountain sides adjacent to the Pemberton valley.

Westpark Electric Ltd. was contracted directly by the owner to engineer, procure, and construct the overhead transmission line. The contract also included two 230kV x 13.8kV substations at the two generating stations.

The transmission line contract included the right-of-way clearing works as well as the necessary upgrade and new construction of road access throughout the site. This scope of work was successfully subcontracted to a local, First Nation-led, logging contractor, which helped achieve project goals of providing both local and First Nation employment on the project.

Extreme mountain conditions required the support of many unconventional supports for transmission line construction. A HETS team and specialized rope rescue consultants were relied on heavily for safe access of construction crews throughout the project. Helicopter support, for both construction and safety coverage, was required through the majority of the project.