Inland Gas Upgrades

Amongst changes to public access to nature parks, we remain in contact with the City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Fire Chief about our work scope within Kenna Cartwright Park. Our crews are continuing to work in the park to complete upgrades and protect infrastructure that is at risk from elevated fire danger in the area. We are maintaining strict mitigation measures such as fire watch, security and fire protection equipment on site which we have made available to the City of Kamloops in the event of a fire in the area. During periods of park closures, we conduct only essential work. Please see our August 10, 2023 update below for more details about essential work and mitigation measures.

The City of Kamloops re-opened nature parks today. The resulting restrictions that only permitted FortisBC to conduct essential work in Kenna Cartwright Park have been lifted. 

As our project’s full work scope resumes, FortisBC will continue to implement fire mitigating measures at our work sites and adjust our work to follow requirements of the BC Wildfire Service, City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Fire Chief. 

Starting today, FortisBC is conducting only essential work on our gas line upgrades in Kenna Cartwright Park in accordance with our Wildfire Exemption provided by the BC Wildfire Service and agreed with the City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Fire Chief. This decision is in the interest of public safety and follows the recent closure of nature parks in the area.

Essential work is critical work required to protect the environment, our customers’ service, and our infrastructure from the risk posed by the elevated fire danger rating in the area. This work will involve completing the gas line upgrades and burying the infrastructure at a couple of localized areas along the construction right of way. All non-essential work is on hold until the risk of conducting such work is reduced. 

During this time, our crews are following strict mitigation measures that are in addition to those mandated by regulations. Such measures include, but are not limited to: 

• 24-hour security and fire watch personnel monitoring the area and our infrastructure.
• Only conducting welding, cutting or grinding in pre-wetted areas cleared of vegetation and surrounded by a tent or excavated ditch.
• Having additional fire protection equipment onsite including a water truck (minimum 4000 US gallons), a firefighting trailer (minimum 300 US gallons), additional pump, hose and water tank; and fire extinguishers and support equipment for crews.

We have also offered access to the City of Kamloops to the above equipment and resources in the event of a fire in the area during this period of elevated fire danger and current drought conditions.
 

We’re starting our fourth year of construction on the Inland Gas Upgrades (“IGU”) Project. In 2023 we’re working on several Pressure Regulating Stations (PRS) throughout our system. These stations can be found safely operating throughout our service territory and help us regulate the pressure of gas so it can be safely moved through our system and delivered to homes and businesses. Other work includes replacing some gas lines and upgrading others to use up-to-date in-line inspection equipment. This equipment will provide detailed information about the condition of each line, which will help us to better plan and manage maintenance work.

In 2023, we'll be working in nine communities throughout the province:

• Northern Interior – we'll be returning to work in Prince George.
• Central Interior – we'll be installing a PRS in Williams Lake. 
• East Kootenay region – we'll be returning to work in Kimberley and Sparwood. 
• West Kootenay region – we'll be starting work in Castlegar and Trail. 
• Thompson-Okanagan – we'll be completing our gas line upgrade in Kamloops and commencing new work in Vernon and Kelowna.

The IGU Project continues to uphold its commitment to providing social and economic benefits to B.C. communities. In 2022, the project spent approximately $56 million through commitments to 145 B.C.-based businesses and contracted $12.7 million worth of goods and services from 102 vendors local to the communities where the IGU Project worked. 

Through targeted procurement, training and employment efforts we have continued to provide opportunities for local and Indigenous-owned businesses year-over-year. For example, in 2022 the project expended approximately $9.8 million to local Indigenous-owned or affiliated vendors compared to $9.3 million in 2021, and $750,000 in 2020, the first year of construction. 

We’re starting our third year of construction on the Inland Gas Upgrades (“IGU”) project. In 2022 we’re working in 12 communities across the province with site preparation work starting in late spring and summer and construction taking place throughout the summer and fall.

• In the Cariboo-Northern Interior we’re returning to work in Prince George and Mackenzie and starting upgrades to our gas line in Quesnel. 
• In the Kootenay region we’re returning to work in Cranbrook, Skookumchuck, Sparwood and Elkford. 
• We’re also upgrading our gas line in Kamloops and our line that extends from Salmon Arm through Enderby and Armstrong to the Township of Spallumcheen.

FortisBC is committed to ensuring the IGU project provides social and economic benefits to B.C. communities. In 2021 $38.5 million of project expenditure went to 190 B.C.-based businesses and, of that, $14.2 million was local to the seven communities where construction occurred. Community investment also included support to local initiatives like a community bus in Mackenzie, an outdoor venue in Elkford and forest trail maintenance in Cranbrook, among others. 

Through targeted procurement, training and employment efforts we’ve successfully increased the opportunities for local and Indigenous-owned businesses year-over-year. For example, in 2020 approximately $750,000 of IGU expenditures were to Indigenous vendors local to the three communities where we worked. In 2021, this increased to $9.3 million across seven communities. We look forward to building on this success by supporting new communities and opportunities as the project continues in the coming years.

To prepare for upgrading our gas line in Kamloops in 2022, we will be carrying out geotechnical investigations in Kenna Cartwright Park starting November 9 until early December. These investigations will involve drilling narrow, vertical holes so we can learn more about the subsurface soil and rock conditions. The work will take place on our existing right of way.

There will be some temporary trail closures required when crews move equipment in and out of work areas. Trail closure signage will be in place to inform trail users to select an alternate route. We ask the public to please follow the directions of signs or crew members working near the trails and stay within the marked paths. 

We appreciate the public’s patience as we strive to complete this work safely and as quickly as possible.

If you are interested in learning more about our planned work for Kamloops in 2022, please view our overview video. 

We're hosting two virtual information sessions on November 24 and 25, 2021 to hear from the Kamloops community and provide a project update on our upcoming work in Kenna Cartwright Park in 2022.

Please join us to learn more, ask questions and share your thoughts. Visit our events calendar for full information session details and to register.

Construction on this project will start in June for its second year and continue throughout the summer into fall. In 2021 we will be working in seven communities across the province – Cranbrook, Kimberley, Skookumchuck, Elkford and Sparwood in the Kootenay region and Prince George and Mackenzie in the Northern Interior. 

Work will primarily be taking place in rural areas on existing FortisBC rights-of-way with limited public impacts. In some locations, people may see crews temporarily working alongside highways or public roads within a community. We will have traffic control personnel working as needed to safely direct motorists, cyclists or pedestrians through the area.

FortisBC is committed to supporting those communities where the Inland Gas Project is taking place. In 2020 we did this through community investment, supporting training opportunities and hiring local businesses. In fact, we contracted 89 British Columbia-based suppliers for the project last year – over half of which were local to the three communities where we worked. This equates to $1.7 million of local expenditure – of which 44 per cent was to Indigenous suppliers. We look forward to supporting new communities and opportunities as this project progresses in the years ahead.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, FortisBC’s primary goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and surrounding communities. We expect everyone working on this project to respect safety plans and strictly follow Ministry of Health orders and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at our worksites.

Work on the Inland Gas Upgrades project will take place in seven communities in 2021. In the Kootenay region we will be working at various locations along our gas lines in the Cranbrook, Kimberley, Elkford, Sparwood and Skookumchuck areas. In the Northern Interior we are returning to Mackenzie and starting upgrades to our existing gas line in Prince George. 

The majority of the work will be to reconfigure sections of our gas lines – such as straightening bends – to ensure in-line inspection equipment can easily pass through and gather information about the condition of our gas lines.

We expect to start preparation work as early as April with construction occurring throughout the summer and early fall. 

To find out more information about this project, please visit the project Overview page. If you are interested in getting further project updates please sign up for our Talking Energy Inland Gas Upgrades project newsletter.

As part of our early work on the Inland Gas Upgrades project, we will be assessing and investigating potential work sites in and around several communities this fall. These communities include the Prince George, Salmon Arm, Spallumcheen, Enderby, and Armstrong areas, as well as near Kimberley and Skookumchuck in the East Kootenay. Further exploratory work will extend to areas where gas line construction is currently underway, including Mackenzie, Cranbrook, Elk Valley and the surrounding areas.

This early work will enable us to map out specific sites for future upgrades and will also involve inspecting existing gas lines. At this time, we anticipate minimal-to-no public disruption as a result of these activities.

We are committed to engaging communities as we develop a more detailed understanding of future years’ work. For a project overview, visit the Inland Gas Upgrades page.  Alternatively, you can contact us by phone at 1-855-576- 7225, or by email at [email protected].

FortisBC is beginning construction for this major project in the Mackenzie, Cranbrook, and Sparwood areas. These upgrades will enhance our ability to carry out proactive maintenance on our infrastructure.

Construction is scheduled to begin in August 2020, and continue through the fall of this year. Most work at this time will be rural and largely take place on existing FortisBC rights of way. There will be a small amount of construction next to highways and other public roads. In these cases area residents may see our traffic control personnel as they work to minimize any potential impacts. Overall, we expect to be in the Mackenzie and Cranbrook areas for approximately three years during seasonal construction windows, and in the Sparwood area over approximately five years during seasonal windows as work moves north within the Elk Valley.

For maps that indicate work site locations this year, see our project overview page.

For the project as a whole, upgrades will occur across 18 communities in the Northern, Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan, and Kootenay regions of BC. We look forward to keeping communities informed on future upgrades across these regions.

We are preparing for our first phase of construction in and around the Mackenzie, Cranbrook, and Sparwood areas this summer. In order to create the space and access needed for our contractors and materials, we will be undertaking some preparation activities. These may include surveying and vegetation clearing; fence and scrap removal; and road access improvements. We are also conducting bird surveys throughout these communities, and are committed to carrying out all work in an environmentally responsible manner. Most of this work will be in rural areas and will take place in June and early July.

With safety at the core of everything we do, we are actively monitoring the developments around COVID-19. If you see our workers or contractors in the field, they are working to ensure that your home and community will continue to receive the energy it depends on safely and reliably, for years to come.

Today, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to FortisBC to move forward with our Inland Gas Upgrades project. This project will enhance our ability to carry out proactive maintenance on our gas system by enabling the use of in-line inspection technology. Work will occur in 18 communities, from Mackenzie to southern BC and the Kootenays, with the vast majority of work taking place within existing rights of way. This project will ensure our natural gas lines continue to provide safe, reliable service for many years to come.

The first phase of construction is anticipated to begin this year, including work in proximity to Mackenzie, Cranbrook, Sparwood and Elkford. As the project progresses, we will continue to provide updates to the communities where work will occur.

After years of planning, assessments and consultation, we’ve submitted an application for approval to our regulator, the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) in December 2018.

This project will represent a significant investment into BC’s natural gas system and we’re pleased to have achieved this major milestone in moving it forward. If approved, we expect work to take place between 2020 and 2024.

Want to know more about the BCUC process and how you can get involved? Find out at bcuc.com.

From now until the end of August, you may see crews working on behalf of FortisBC doing survey and small excavation work around our rights of way in several areas of the province, including in Cranbrook, Skookumchuck, Kimberley and Mackenzie.

This work will help us verify details of the lines that will enable us to continue planning the Inland Gas Upgrades project.

It’s an important and regular part of the work we do, every day, to properly and effectively plan all of our construction projects.

If you have any questions, please call our project phone line at 1-855-576-7225 or email us at [email protected].

Native species, waterways and heritage sites—these are just a few of the reasons we work with certified professionals to explore potential project sites early on, long before any shovel hits the ground. As part of our planning for the proposed Inland Gas Upgrades, from now until the end of June, our consultants are studying our rights of way in rural and back country areas in many interior regions of BC. Qualified environmental professionals and permitted archaeologists are developing site overviews for each gas line. This work is being done in consultation with local Indigenous communities where possible.

If the project is approved by the British Columbia Utilities Commission, this information will determine where further study may be needed, what permits will be required and ensure we handle sensitive areas with care. If you have any questions, please call our project phone line at 1-855-576-7225 or email us at [email protected].