BC Hydro - Customer Connection Project: Copper Mountain Mine Trolley Assist

in progress

BC Hydro’s customer, Copper Mountain Mining Corp., operates Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia near Princeton. Copper Mountain currently operates diesel haul trucks to transport ore or waste rock on the site. This contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, especially when trucks are loaded and travel uphill. The customer is seeking to electrify haul trucks using a trolley assist system. This system consists of electric wires suspended above a one kilometer ramp where loaded haul trucks drive from the open pit, connect to the wires by means of pantographs (overhead bars like those of city streetcars), drive one kilometer uphill on grid power, disconnect and drive a short distance to the primary crusher on diesel power to dump their load. The customer will replace several remotely located diesel-powered water pumps at the mine site with electrically powered pumps by extending the mine’s own network of electricity lines. The improvements to the transmission line not only supply BC Hydro’s customer, Copper Mountain, but also provide greater backup electricity supply to Princeton. Phase 2 of the project will complete the additional load required for adding more trolley assist at the mine site. The project will add approximately 12 MW and 3 km of trolley assist line. This will allow Copper Mountain to transport ore from their New Ingerbelle pit using trolley assist. The project will upgrade a BC Hydro power line that runs from Merritt to Princeton and serves the Copper Mountain substation supplying 16 megawatts of electricity: -replace 22 poles; -replace 138 kilovolt cable in a 4.5 km section of powerline with higher rated cable; -a series capacitor station; -replace existing 138 kilovolt cable in 10 km of powerline with cables of higher rating; -conduct vegetation clearing and access improvements along existing access routes; and -related works.