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ATCO’s Transmission Line Rebuild Project Underway
ATCO’s Transmission Line Rebuild Project Underway
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
ATCO Electric began rebuilding its 7L65 transmission line back in the fall of 2021 and construction is expected to continue over the next two years.
Doris Kaufmann Woodcock, Manager of Media & Corporate Communications, provided some background and details about the project. She explained that, “The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) has long-term transmission plans for the province that address Alberta’s growing power needs while modernizing and incorporating grid reliability.
Complementing the AESO’s plans, ATCO has identified that the existing 7L65 transmission line (running about 98 kilometres from just south of Vegreville to Vermillion is nearing the end of its lifecycle due to its age and condition.
Essentially, this means the current line is unable to operate at its original capacity and reliability. It therefore needs to be completely replaced to meet increasing local demand, while also ensuring reliability and aligning with the AESO’s mandate.”
Amanda Mattern, Vice Presidents of Operations said, “The current 7L65 transmission line has served the community very well since 1957, but it was nearing the end of its lifespan. This newly built line enables ATCO to maintain our commitment to reliable power while preparing our grid for future demands and technology developments.”
Kaufmann Woodcock pointed out that, ATCO is rebuilding the 7L65 transmission line with new structures, primarily in a new alignment*. Construction is occurring over multiple years and separated into three phases by regional sections of the line. As each phase is constructed, the corresponding section of the original line is dismantled and salvaged.
The total project cost is estimated at about $73 million. All project activities are expected to be complete by early 2026.
*New alignment was determined through an iterative route selection process with consideration for environmental, social, cultural, land-use, resource, and technical factors. This also included multiple rounds of consultation with affected stakeholders in the area, and adjustments to the final selected route based on stakeholder feedback. A portion located within Vermilion Provincial Park (part of Phase 2) was rebuilt in place in order to avoid creating a new disturbance within the park boundary.
Phase 1
i. Construction of 37 km of new transmission line from the Vegreville substation to the endpoint, south of Ranfurly.
ii. Construction and salvage were completed in 2022.
Phase 2
i. Construction of 27 km of new transmission line between the Vermilion substation to the endpoint, north of Mannville.
ii. Construction was completed in 2023 and salvage is underway.
Phase 3
i. Construction of 34 km of new transmission line between the Phase 1 and 2 endpoints with expected completion in 2025.
ii. Salvage of the corresponding section of the original line expected to be complete by early 2026.
It was back in 2020 that the Alberta Utilities Commission approved the project. Public consultations began in September 2017.
