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Fortis BC will be upgrading its electrical infrastructure along Highway 3 between Grand Forks and Christina Lake until December.
Tracy Tang, corporate communications adviser for Fortis BC, explained that Fortis BC and contractors are doing maintenance work to upgrade the existing electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure between the Christina Lake and Grand Forks substations.
“The crews are replacing the old power poles and broken cross arms,” she said. “The work is being down to ensure that the safety and reliability is there for the electricity customers in the area.”
Tang noted that upgrades aren’t necessarily done every year, but whenever it is required.
“With infrastructure, you have to assess it and see how it’s performing,” she said. “It can be prone to storm damage, high winds, and all sorts of factors that wear down the infrastructure.”
Fortis BC assesses the infrastructure constantly to determine when it needs to be replaced.
“Investing in infrastructure is one of the most important ways that the company can continue to meet the energy needs of the customers,” she said. “As the population continues to grow and energy is being consumed more and more, we have to make sure we are investing and making these upgrades throughout the service territory to make sure we have reliable and safe service as possible.”
Approximately 40 poles are scheduled to be replaced, Tang noted, with no service disruptions expected.
Work began in late August.