FortisBC: Our History

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FortisBC is the oldest utility in British Columbia, reaching back to the late 1890's when mining was the driving force in the Kootenays and Rossland was its focal point. At that time, the mines required an abundant and inexpensive source of electric power and so the development of hydroelectric power began.

When West Kootenay Power and Light Company was incorporated in 1897, it purchased the Bonnington Falls from Baroness Burdett Coutts. The first project of the new company was to build a hydroelectric power station on the Kootenay River and then push a transmission line through the rugged terrain down river and up the mountainsides to Rossland. This meant construction of, what was then considered to be, the longest and highest voltage transmission line in the world. At 20,000 volts, the line would set new Canadian transmission records and would be the first in the world through alpine terrain.

When construction began in July 1897 at the plant at Lower Bonnington Falls (a name given by Sir Charles Ross, a 25 year old Scottish baronet), barely 11 months later the first surge of electricity traced its way along the 32 mile line to Rossland. This accomplishment was a key factor in the development of the area and Rossland's gold rush.

Rossland turned into a boomtown in the 1890s. About 7,000 people set up residence in the alpine city along with 42 saloons, 17 law firms and 3 breweries. More than 2 billion dollars worth of gold and other ore was produced and processed at the foot of the mountain. This kind of prosperity provided West Kootenay Power and Light Company an opportunity to serve its first customers.

This project created employment for many people in Rossland. Holes needed to be dug so poles could be erected. The holes were pick-axed out of the harsh mountain terrain and raised by hand. It took a small army of men and horses to complete this difficult task.

No one had ever completed a project of this size before and many believed it impossible, but the early pioneers of West Kootenay Power and Light Company were determined to make it work. Each pole had a mounted cedar roof which served as insurance against the then-unknown effects of snow and ice on insulators. The Bonnington to Rossland project took just under a year, and on July 15, 1898, 500 lights were shining in Rossland.

West Kootenay Power and Light Company's first general manager was Lorne Campbell, who was brought in to supervise the installation of certain equipment at the Lower Bonnington project. Upon its completion, he set in motion what became a long range program to make full use of the Kootenay River's potential. Construction of the Upper Bonnington Plant began in 1905 and was later completed in 1907. The power plant project itself included the largest single piece of concrete construction in British Columbia up to that time.

With the smelter in Trail expanding and using huge amounts of power for its electrolytic processes and the onset of World War I, West Kootenay Power and Light Company had to change its business outlook and structure. Cominco acquired a controlling interest in West Kootenay Power and Light Company to ensure an adequate power supply for war time production demands. This meant that additional generating units were needed to be installed in the Upper Bonnington plant.

During this period, Cominco ranked as one of the world's major producers of lead and zinc. West Kootenay Power and Light Company kept pace with Cominco's power requirements with the construction of the South Slocan Plant, which was completed in 1929.

In addition to supplying the needs of the smelter at Trail, the system's domestic service expanded steadily over the years reaching Kelowna and Princeton in 1922 and supplying Creston in 1933. This made the construction of another hydroelectric facility necessary. In 1932 the completion of the Cora Linn Dam meant the needs of power demand could be met by the growing communities requesting this service.

In what was referred to as "The Year of the Big Break," on January 9th, 1936, over 17 miles of high voltage power lines collapsed in the Okanagan area. The collapse extended nine miles to the east and eight miles to the west of the Oliver substation. Power was restored to Okanagan customers by connecting temporarily with the West Canadian Hydro Company from Vernon. About 100 men, who worked in very severe conditions, were employed to repair the damage done at a cost of around $250,000.

The World War II effort involved Cominco not only as a key supplier of lead and zinc, but of strategic chemicals as well. These included ordnance grade ammonium and heavy water for the Manhattan Project. This increased the need for power to a point, that all generators had to run continuously. This need for consistent and constant power resulted in the development and construction of the Brilliant plant which went online in 1944.

In 1951, West Kootenay Power and Light Company completed an 86 mile line from South Slocan to Cominco's operation at the Sullivan Mine in Kimberly. A branch line was also created down the east side of Kootenay Lake to meet increasing domestic demand in the Creston and surrounding area.

Construction began on the Waneta power project at the mouth of the Pend d'Oreille River where it joins the Columbia River south of Trail in 1952. This was the last and largest station built in the system by West Kootenay Power and Light Company.

Another event in the Company's history was late in the evening of March 6, 1962 when the east tower on Kootenay Lake was destroyed by fanatical bombers, who were never caught. This cut off power to Cominco's operations at Kimberly and Riondel and to customers down the lakeshore to Creston. It took almost 30 days to get this tower fixed and power had to be re-routed to the East Kootenay Power Company, where the load on their lines went from 60 kv to 170 kv.

From 1963 to the mid 1980's, West Kootenay Power and Light Company continued to develop transmission lines to communities within Southern and Eastern British Columbia. During this period, West Kootenay Power and Light Company's plan was to keep pace with rapid development of the West Kootenay, Boundary, Okanagan, and Creston districts and adequately serve Cominco's expanding metal and chemical operations at Trail and Kimberly.

Through constant refinement in generation and transmission technology and through power exchange programs with other utilities, West Kootenay Power and Light Company continued to grow