Client: BC Hydro
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Status: Current, 2025 to present
Overview
The challenge. BC Hydro needed to establish whether two additional communication wires could be added across an existing 432 metre span — a long span where every added wire changes the loading, the sag behaviour and the mid-span clearances at once, and where the wrong answer only reveals itself years later.
Our approach. Our engineers analysed the structural impact of the proposed wires on the existing pole structures, quantified the increase in pole loading, and checked sag and clearance behaviour across the full 432 metre span to confirm that all mid-span clearance requirements would still be met under the applicable load cases.
The outcome. We concluded the addition was feasible — and, just as importantly, said exactly under what conditions: specific recommendations on guying and hardware that preserve structural integrity once the new wires go up. BC Hydro can proceed with a clear scope instead of a bare yes or no.
Services applied
- Feasibility study
- Clearance assessment
- Pole loading analysis
- Structural analysis