Designed to improve grid reliability, increase capacity and improve efficiency, the Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL) is a 485 km long, 500 kV bipole HVDC overhead transmission line that runs north to south across eastern Alberta. It interconnects Newell converter station in Brooks, Alberta, with Heathfield converter station near Gibbons, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton.

ATCO served as owner’s engineer for all phases of the project. The team comprised subject matter experts in control and protection, apparatus, cybersecurity, station auxiliary systems, SCADA and commissioning. ATCO procured the 500 × 500 m converter stations from as a lump-sum turnkey supply, over which ATCO had technical oversight to ensure technical and performance requirements. Traversing diverse topography ranging from barren prairie and rock gorges to intrinsic river crossings, the line featured numerous foundation and tower types, as well as complex wire design using heavy hardware and line tension. 

This project demonstrates ATCO’s ability to plan, manage and perform work while mitigating stakeholder and landowner concerns. We worked with all impacted landowners to ensure a comprehensive understanding of concerns, mitigate issues and keep each fully informed.

From a vegetation management perspective, ATCO mapped and tracked vegetation management prescriptions, along with specific agency and landowner commitments, along the 485 km length of new transmission line construction. These prescriptions included invasive/noxious weed assessments, targeted spraying and a hand pulling program and monitoring and tracking for efficacy in the treated areas. 

EATL was commissioned in 2014 and is owned and operated by ATCO.