A 500kV AIS switchyard rejuvenation in British Columbia using Hybrids

Ingledow is the most important substation in BC Hydro's electrical system. The station, situated in Surrey, BC, serves as a major switching hub, receiving energy from the hydroelectric stations in Northern and North-Eastern BC and distributing it to the energy-hungry users in the Lower Mainland and NE USA. By the year 2007 most of the 500kV equipment in this 1965-vintage switchyard was approaching end-of-life. The paper describes the decision process to choose 500kV Hybrids as the most efficient and reliable switching equipment, the advantages of the Hybrid solution, details on the replacement turn-key project and the lessons learned by BC Hydro and the turn-key service provider. It also covers the same process at another Lower Mainland substation (Meridian) and explains why the Hybrids solution is not universally applicable in BC Hydro's system.