Power Line Relocation FINAL · 1. St. David’s Avenue – New Taller Poles to provide 69 kV and 12 kV Service, 2. St. David’s Avenue – Underground Existing 12 kV Line, New Taller

Power Line Relocation – Low Level Road

TECHNICAL REVIEW OF ROUTE OPTIONS

Prepared for:

Lamont (Monty) Hurd, EngL, ASct, CPWI 3 Project Engineer

City of North Vancouver

Prepared by:

Willis Energy Services Ltd. 500 – 885 Dunsmuir Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1N5

April 23, 2013

Power Line Relocation Technical Review Of Route Options

Executive Summary

Willis Energy Services was engaged by the City of North Vancouver, BC on March 27, 2013

to perform a technical review of route options to relocate the BC Hydro 69 kV service to

Port Metro. Ralph Zbarsky, P. Eng., Willis Energy Services Associate, completed this review.

The power line relocation has been necessitated by planned rail improvements which

require realignment and upgrades to the Low Level Road, the existing 69 kV line route. The

review comprised the proposed BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred route and additional

identified options.

This review has found that while the existing BC Hydro power line must be relocated,

electricity service to BC Hydro’s customer must be maintained throughout the entire

project realigning the Low Level Road and relocating the power line. There are limited

viable options that can meet these constraints and be cost-effectively constructed within

the realignment project’s schedule.

BC Hydro/Port Metro provided their preferred design that essentially involves rebuilding

and upgrading an existing overhead pole line that runs north-south along St. David’s

Avenue in order to cost-effectively meet the project schedule while maintaining 69 kV

service to BC Hydro customers throughout the project.

Other design options and route alternatives have been considered in this review. After

field investigation and consideration of the many factors, including potential

neighbourhood visual impacts, which determine a preferred design, the proposed BC

Hydro/Port Metro preferred route along St. David’s Avenue is seen as the suitable option in

this case.

It is the Reviewer’s opinion that implementing the BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred design

along St. David’s Avenue does not preclude the development, at some time in the future,

of an electricity transmission line located exclusively on Port Metro Property. As Pacific

Rim export demand continues to grow, it can be expected that Port Metro will pursue

material handling efficiency improvements that will require additional power. Planning

and design of any major Port Metro facility expansion or retrofit should consider

integrating on site power delivery and supply. Port Metro Property – Routes A and B are

examples of onsite routes.

Successful upgrades to the port will need to integrate power supply into the early project

planning stages. This would be beneficial to the long-term planning of BC Hydro, Port

Metro, and the City of North Vancouver.

Power Line Relocation Technical Review Of Route Options

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

1 Scope of Work .................................................................................................................... 1

2 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 1

3 Review ................................................................................................................................ 2

3.1 St. David’s Avenue - New Taller Poles to provide 69 kV and 12 kV Service ................. 2

3.2 St. David’s Avenue - Underground Existing 12 kV line, New Taller Poles for 69 kV ..... 4

3.3 St. David’s Avenue - Underground New 69 kV Line, Maintain Existing 12 kV Line ....... 6

3.4 Eastern Routes Parallel to Low Level Road ................................................................. 7

3.5 Port Metro Property Route ........................................................................................... 7

4 Pole Replacement ..............................................................................................................12

5 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................12

EXHIBITS

Exhibit 1: Typical Installation located outside the City ................................................................ 2

Exhibit 2: Typical Installation - Low Level Road.......................................................................... 3

Exhibit 3 Typical 12 kV and 69 kV Installation – 3rd Street ......................................................... 3

Exhibit 4: A typical pole with only 69 kV circuit ........................................................................... 4

Exhibit 5 At-grade Transformer for Underground 12 kV System ................................................ 5

Exhibit 6 Below-grade Mounted Switchgear for Underground 12 kV System ............................. 5

Exhibit 7: Typical Multiple poles ................................................................................................. 6

Exhibit 8: South of the Low Level Road ...................................................................................... 7

Exhibit 9: St. George’s Avenue and East Esplanade .................................................................. 8

Exhibit 10: Port Metro Property - Route A .................................................................................. 9

Exhibit 11: Vancouver Drydock Substation Looking East ..........................................................10

Exhibit 12: Vancouver Drydock Substation Looking East on Port Metro Property ......................10

Exhibit 13: Port Metro Property – Route B .................................................................................11

Exhibit 14 Distribution Pole for Replacement ...........................................................................12

Technical Review of Route Options Page 1 April 23, 2013

1 Scope of Work

A brief review of the BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred route and additional identified

options was requested by the City, as well as commentary on other relocation alternatives

that may become evident during the investigation.

The following options for St. David’s Avenue, along with alternative locations, were

reviewed.

1. St. David’s Avenue – New Taller Poles to provide 69 kV and 12 kV Service,

2. St. David’s Avenue – Underground Existing 12 kV Line, New Taller Poles for 69 kV

Line,

3. St. David’s Avenue – Underground 69 kV Service, Maintain Existing Overhead 12 kV

Line,

4. Port Metro Property Routes, and

5. Eastern Routes Parallel to Low Level Road.

2 Methodology

Based on information received from the City, I performed the following:

• conducted field investigations of the St. David’s route and other identified options,

• reviewed the BC Hydro 69 kV circuitry from the North Van Substation to the Low

Level Road area, and the existing 12 kV circuitry, to determine any other viable

options

• examined the railway alignments throughout the Port Metro property,

• reviewed the proposed re-alignment of the Low Level Road,

• discussed various design elements of this project with two of the lead designers

(with permission), to confirm the various professional standards they utilized in

their work, and

• identified structures similar to those proposed, to aid in the evaluation of the

considered options.

This brief review considered the following factors for each option:

a) Constructability

b) Maintenance requirements for ‘new’ lines

c) Site accessibility for future work

d) Rights-of-Way Procurement

e) Schedule constraints re: preparing additional designs for new construction

f) Material and equipment acquisition

g) Impact on neighbouring residents, both during construction and from the finished

project.


3 Review

3.1 St. David’s Avenue - New Taller Poles to provide 69 kV and 12 kV Service

This proposed BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred design involves rebuilding the existing

overhead lines with taller poles to accommodate the 69 kV conductors. With regard to

the factors a) through f) listed above, there are no significant issues. The impact on

residents, factor g), will be that some views may be impacted by the additional pole

height and additional conductors. Exhibit 1 presents a typical design installation, located

outside the City. Exhibit 2 presents another example of typical design along the Low

Level Road.

Exhibit 1: Typical Installation located outside the City


Exhibit 2: Typical Installation - Low Level Road

This structure design is in place along 3rd

Street as well. As seen in Exhibit 3 the sight lines

from the residences along 3rd

Street appear to be below the 69 kV lines. This would be

the case for single-family and low-rise residences as well. The sight lines for the existing

residences along St. David’s Avenue also appear be below the proposed 69 kV lines.

Exhibit 3 Typical 12 kV and 69 kV Installation – 3

rd Street


3.2 St. David’s Avenue - Underground Existing 12 kV line, New Taller Poles for 69 kV

This option appears that it could mitigate the potential visual impact of the project by

avoiding the installation of some taller poles. Exhibit 4 shows a typical pole that would be

used in this option, with a 69 kV circuit only, located along 3rd

Street.

Exhibit 4: A typical pole with only 69 kV circuit

The existing 12 kV line would be placed underground in this option. The additional

infrastructure required would also impact the neighbourhood, while increasing the total

project costs. Considerable design effort would be required to determine appropriate

locations for at-grade transformers and below-grade junction boxes and possible

switchgear. Exhibit 5 presents the typical pad-mounted equipment often required to

provide for an underground distribution system, while Exhibit 6 is the at-grade view of

the cover for below-grade equipment. The below-grade footprint is likely to be three

times that of the visible cover, and may conflict with adjacent underground structures.


Exhibit 5 At-grade Transformer for Underground 12 kV System

Exhibit 6 Below-grade Mounted Switchgear for Underground 12 kV System

These structures, when retrofitted, require considerable redesign of the existing system

and will result in extensive disruptive construction activity in the neighbourhood.


3.3 St. David’s Avenue - Underground New 69 kV Line, Maintain Existing 12 kV Line

This option would maintain the existing pole height, but would require a complex design,

increased construction activity, and will require additional poles. The poles are required

for cable terminations and disconnect switches. As seen in Exhibit 7, the constructed

poles present considerable visual and land use impact on their neighbourhood.

Exhibit 7: Typical Multiple poles

These installations are costly due to the requisite larger size of right-of-way, complex

engineering design, and necessary specialized materials and construction techniques. In

addition, this option would likely require long procurement lead times for cable and

equipment.

For these reasons, this option would not be viable to successfully maintain 69 kV service

throughout the construction period or to meet the project schedule. Both of these

factors would contribute to significantly increased project total cost. Due to the existence

of multiple utility service connections and limited space availability, this route is not likely

to have the required corridor space for the proposed underground and overhead lines.


3.4 Eastern Routes Parallel to Low Level Road

Exhibit 8 demonstrates that there is insufficient space to the south of the Low Level Road

to accommodate a new overhead line. In our opinion, the size of the available land

corridor is inadequate to meet 69 kV clearance requirements.

Exhibit 8: South of the Low Level Road

To the north of the Low Level Road it is technically feasible to construct a new 69 kV line.

However this would require placing the line through the City’s Moodyville Park,

necessitating removal of a wide corridor of trees, and permission from the City.

3.5 Port Metro Property Route

There is an existing 69kV line located on the west side of the Port Metro property, coming

down St. George’s Avenue and crossing East Esplanade, as seen in Exhibit 9. The existing

line travels to the Port Metro property to serve the Vancouver Drydock Substation.


Exhibit 9: St. George’s Avenue and East Esplanade

This alternative would see a new line interconnected to the Vancouver Drydock

Substation and extended east across Port Metro. There are two routes presented here.

The first example extends the line on Port Metro property up to the convergence of the

railroad lines and then travels north to Alder Street, east along Alder to St. David’s

Avenue, and heads south to cross the Low Level Road to the Richardson substation. The

second example travels east along the southern perimeter to the Richardson substation.

It needs to be noted that this option would require the acquisition of railway crossing

permits and Rights-of-Way from Port Metro in favour of BC Hydro. Those processes can

be lengthy and complicated and must be included in early planning estimates.

a) After leaving the Drydock Substation, the line runs parallel and south of the railroad

until it is south of Alder Street to the north. At that point, due mainly to the

convergence of multiple railroad lines, the 69 kV line would cross three railroad lines

and the Low Level Road, and head north to the Spirit Trail. The Exhibit 10 map below

outlines the route location (blue) and shows the completed Spirit Trail (mustard).


Exhibit 10: Port Metro Property - Route A

Exhibit 11 shows the Vancouver Drydock Substation, looking east along East Esplanade.

Implementing this option would require considerable tree removal along the Spirit Trail,

encounter difficulty anchoring lines for crossing the tracks, and once installed would

present a large visual impact on the neighbourhood. For these reasons, this option is

not likely to be viable.


Exhibit 11: Vancouver Drydock Substation Looking East

b) An alternative example is to construct the 69 kV line from the Drydock Substation

going east and remaining on Port Metro property through to the Richardson

Substation. Seen in Exhibit 12, the route passes south of the railroad and the large dry

dock buildings.

Exhibit 12: Vancouver Drydock Substation Looking East on Port Metro Property


Exhibit 13 shows this alternate route, turning south after the dry dock buildings, and

then heading east again, parallel to the southern-most track, towards the Richardson

Substation.

Exhibit 13: Port Metro Property – Route B

Constructing any alternative within Port Metro property would place the new 69 kV line

in an industrial zone, and would likely have limited visual impact on the surrounding

neighbourhood.

This option may require some track removal near the Richardson Substation and

undergrounding a portion of the 69 kV. CSA Standard CSA C22.3-7-10, and BC Hydro

ES54 H4 provide some guidance regarding underground installations on railway rights-

of-way. Several other project issues would arise and the time needed by the parties to

reach the necessary agreements is not in the proposed schedule. It would be prudent,


however, in the design for the relocation of the Richardson Substation, to try and

accommodate possible future 69 kV supply locations.

4 Pole Replacement

This project provides the opportunity to upgrade the existing poles and avoid ongoing

intermittent pole replacement that would otherwise be required over the coming years.

As shown in Exhibit 14, the existing poles have years of ground-line and pole butt

treatment (date tags and treatment ingress points are seen here) and are ready for

replacement. Replacing these poles at this time to include 69 kV lines would be cost-

effective and minimize the long-term construction impact on the neighbourhood.

Exhibit 14 Distribution Pole for Replacement

5 Conclusion

Given the constraints placed on this project, the proposed BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred

design is the most viable selection. The project, as designed, will maintain 69 kV service

throughout construction and installation, can be coordinated successfully with other Low


Level Road reconstruction activity, and will not likely pose any budget overrun risks due to

complex engineering or equipment installation.

The designers have confirmed that this project is designed in accordance with BC Hydro

Standards ES 43, ES 53, ES 54, and ES 41. BC Hydro standard ES 43 applies to the railway

crossing, and CSA C22.3 No 1 applies to the appropriate clearance requirements.

It is the Reviewer’s opinion that implementing the BC Hydro/Port Metro preferred design

along St. David’s Avenue does not preclude the development, at some time in the future,

of an electricity transmission line located exclusively on Port Metro Property. As Pacific

Rim export demand continues to grow, it can be expected that Port Metro will pursue

material handling efficiency improvements that will require additional power. Planning

and design of any major Port Metro facility expansion or retrofit should consider

integrating on site power delivery and supply. Port Metro Property – Routes A and B are

examples of onsite routes.

Successful upgrades to the port will need to integrate power supply into the early project

planning stages. This would be beneficial to the long-term planning of BC Hydro, Port

Metro, and the City of North Vancouver.

Documents

Power Line Relocation FINAL · 1. St. David’s Avenue – New Taller Poles to provide 69 kV and 12 kV Service, 2. St. David’s Avenue – Underground Existing 12 kV Line, New Taller