Saucier substation equipment that will be upgraded is pictured in this undated photo.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / FortisBC

After developers were having concerns about being able to connect to power in Kelowna earlier this year, FortisBC is investing millions to address the energy shortfall.

FortisBC is putting $18.6 million into upgrading the Saucier substation in Kelowna that sends power downtown, along with numerous other upgrade projects around the Okanagan, according to a press release from FortisBC issued today, Oct. 1.

“We are investing in our electricity system in Kelowna and throughout the Southern Interior so we can continue to meet our customers’ growing energy needs, and support community and economic growth,” director of engineering Marko Aaltomaa said in the release.

The Saucier substation upgrades are scheduled to be complete by the end of 2027. The upgrades include adding a second transformer to increase capacity, expand the control building and to replace the switchgear and breakers.

“The City of Kelowna greatly appreciates FortisBC's significant investment in the Saucier Substation and looks forward to continued collaboration,” the city’s planning director Ryan Smith said in the release. “The City is committed to working with FortisBC on proactive initiatives aimed at accelerating infrastructure investments in Kelowna's most rapidly growing areas.”

Along with the Saucier upgrades, FortisBC is putting $6.5 Million into the Duck Lake substation that serves folks in northeast Kelowna which is set to be finished in 2026.

Next year, the D.G. Bell substation in south Kelowna is getting an $11.4 million upgrade with a new transformer, circuit breakers and other equipment.

Another $6.4 million project to replace transmission lines in Penticton and South Okanagan started in July and is expected to finish in the spring. 

FortisBC is spending $133 million by 2027 to upgrade substations in Kaleden, Keremeos, Christina Lake and Kelowna, including the Duck Lake and D.G. Bell substations. 

When the concerns about an energy shortfall were coming up in February this year, FortisBC’s spokesperson Gary Toft said the main issue was with new developments that required more than 500 kilowatts.

Now, Toft said FortisBC is working with developers to connect buildings as they are completed so that new projects get electricity as needed.

“Upon following up with development projects in this area we identified some that will not require electricity prior to the Saucier substation capacity upgrades being completed by the end of 2027. We have worked with these developers to reallocate this power to others who will need this electricity sooner and have been able to accommodate all existing requests from developers for power in this area,” Toft said in an emailed statement.

FortisBC has added 10,000 new electrical customers in Kelowna in the past five years. 

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