Best route for the Westside

Last week's announcement of a second hydro transmission line to the Westside is great news for residents there.

West Kelowna very nearly lost all power when flames closed in on the single line from Merritt during the Smith Creek wildfire last year. The line feeds 60,000 customers, 22,000 of whom were in the dark last October during a major blackout.

The redundancy – and safety – a second line would bring cap seven years of lobbying by West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater. But the wait will be a little longer as BC Hydro decides where to route the line, then builds it.

It's hoped the 138-kilovolt transmission line will be up and running in five or six years.

Three route options are on the table, but one stands out above the others. Unfortunately, it may also face the most political hurdles. The choices are:

• A new line running down from the north, west of Okanagan Lake.
• A new line running from the Nicola substation near Merritt to the Westbank substation in West Kelowna that follows a different route than the existing line.
• A new submarine cable connecting Westbank substation to the FortisBC system on the east side of Okanagan Lake.

The cheapest, of course, would be to twin the line from Merritt. But why would Hydro consider that when it was the threat of a forest-fire-induced blackout that brought about the entire discussion? Simply adding a second line 100 yards over from the existing one would add no measure of protection.

Going under the lake would be the most expensive – and would rely on connecting to another utility provider's network, so it doesn't make sense either.

The lengthy Westside route, connecting at the north end of Okanagan Lake, would offer the best network redundancy and would deliver better service to the North Okanagan Indian Band and small clusters of homes along the sparsely populated North Westside. It could also potentially kick-start economic development for the Indian band.

But it would also require the purchase of a long stretch of land, involving numerous property owners, Crown land and the First Nation. This alone could complicate matters. And if the band opposes the project, it could take forever to get off the ground.

But, we're hoping the band will see the benefit in co-operation on this file. A speedy consultation and approval process can only add peace of mind for all residents of the Westside.

— News Director Jon Manchester