Compliance Verification Activity Report: CV1617-103 - Quebec Hydro - Hydro-Québec

Overview

Compliance verification activity type: Field Inspection

Team:

• Inspector 2463

Regulated company: Quebec Hydro - Hydro-Québec

Operating company: Quebec Hydro - Hydro-Québec

Province(s) / Territory(s):

• Quebec

Discipline(s):

• Environmental Protection
• Safety Management
• Integrity Management

Rationale and scope:

The primary purpose of the compliance audit is to review the international power lines (IPL) owned and operated by Hydro-Québec and regulated by the National Energy Board so that Board staff understands Hydro-Québec’s procedure and operating practices, and to validate or update information on the condition of IPLs that were inspected. The audit covers IPLs in the Montérégie, Quebec region for which the Board has issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity pursuant to the National Energy Board Act (the Act). The IPLs in this case are covered under Certificates EC-III-15 and EC-III-22. Inspections are part of planned compliance audit activities and include auditing for compliance with the Act, the National Energy Board Electricity Regulations, and the General Order for Electricity Reliability Standards MO-036-2012 (Reliability Order), as well as Certificates EC-III-15 and EC-III-22 and their terms and conditions. The inspections are also used to audit the compliance of Hydro-Québec information and commitments with the information filed with the Board as part of applications or other filings concerning these IPLs. Compliance auditing provides for a review of the relevant sections of manuals, plans or other corporate information required under the applicable regulations. Field visits focus on the following: vegetation management methods, the general condition of the right-of-way, boat traffic safety and the integrity of power components, lines and structures in particular. The areas of the right-of-way visited present examples of the above-mentioned characteristics for the length of the IPLs. The inspection concerned the following IPLs: — IPL 7040 (EC-III-15): The IPL is approximately 55.7 km long and is a 765 kV line with a transfer capability of 2500 MW. It was approved by the Board in 1976. — Bedford-Vermont IPL (EC-III-22): The IPL is approximately 17.7 km long and is a 120 kV IPL extending from the Bedford substation to Vermont, US. It was modified approximately two years ago and temporary connections were added to make the changes required at the Bedford substation. Luc M. Rainville, a Board inspector and environmental and occupational health and safety specialist conducted field visits and meetings and discussions from Wednesday, September 7 to Friday, September 9, 2016. He was accompanied by apprentice inspector Tab Gangopadhyay (power systems engineer). Both individuals are referred to below as “the Board inspectors”. The inspections constitute compliance audit activity 1516-015. The field visits focused on vegetation management methods, general condition of the right-of-way, boat traffic safety and the integrity of the power system components, in particular the lines and structures. The areas of the right-of-way that were visited showed examples of the above-mentioned characteristics for the length of the IPLs.

Compliance tool(s) used:

• None

Facility details

Facilities:

Facility Types

• International Power Line (IPL)
• Conductors and shields
• Dampers and spacers
• Grounding
• Guy wires
• Insulators
• Poles and towers
• Right of way

Life-cycle Phases

• Operations

Regulatory requirements

Regulatory requirements that apply to this activity:

• National Energy Board Act (NEBA)
• National Energy Board Act (NEBA) until 1 April 2020, Canada Energy Regulatory Act (CERA) after 1 April 2020
• National Energy Board General Order for Electricity Reliability Standards General Order MO-036-2012
• National Energy Board Electricity Regulations (ER)

Observations (no outstanding follow-up required)

Observation 1 - Line 7040 – Integrity

Date & time of visit: 2016-09-07 11:00

Discipline: Integrity Management

Categories:

• Powerlines
• Vegetation Control
• Poles and Towers
• Insulators
• Conductors and Shields
• Dampers & Spacers
• Guy Wires
• Grounding

Facility:

Observations:

General

• Line 7040 comprises 150 structures extending from the Châteauguay, Quebec substation to Massena, New York. The inspection covered seven structures, beginning with No. 106 near Montée Smellie. The structures are V-shaped steel lattice towers, except for No. 109, which is an angle tower.
• Aerial patrols are frequent (generally once a year), but can be more frequent under certain circumstances. The elements audited during an aerial patrol are documented.
• The maintenance plans address deficiencies noted during the aerial patrols. The deficiencies are classified from P1 to P4, with P1 being the first level of urgency, and are corrected in their order of priority. Hydro-Québec provided its technical guidance notes, which describe the nature of the deficiencies and the method for establishing the order of priority.
• Ground patrols are conducted at least every 10 years. The elements assessed during the aerial patrols are classed in order of priority, and are confirmed and assessed in greater depth during ground patrols. The schedule varies based on events that occur.

• Structure No. 106 – The tower is located on the northeast side of the road crossing. The central phase insulators are porcelain, and glass insulators make up the strings. The conductors are arranged in four groups, with spacers between the groups. The conductors and insulators are in satisfactory condition. The trellis structure is solidly supported. Hydro-Québec does not use vibration damping for these lines.
• Structure No. 107 – The guys have good tension; the framework is solid; the current maintenance plan does not provide for rust-proofing for this line. The insulators are in good condition, and are made of glass and porcelain. We did not see any sign of compression-related splicing. Structures 106 and 107 span Montée Smellie. The distance between the road and the sag of the line is 23 m, which is higher than the 20.1 minimum set out in CSA 22.3 No. 15.
• Structure No. 108 – The structures, guys, conductor and insulators are all in good condition. No sag was measured.
• Structure No. 109 – This structure comprises three standalone angle towers. All insulators are suspended and made of glass, except for the jumper string, where the high-voltage insulators are porcelain. We observed three deficiencies:
  1. The interior guy on the central tower is slightly slack such that the bolt at the anchor point has come somewhat loose. HQ confirmed that these guys are anchored to the rock and therefore very solid.
  2. One of the bolts at the anchor point of one of the guys for the central post has become loose.
  3. A central phase glass insulator is missing a disc.
     These are not serious deficiencies. Hydro-Québec classified them as level P4, and they will be included on the maintenance schedule for correction.
      
• Structure No. 111 – The structures, guys, conductor and insulators are all in good condition. No sag was measured.
• Structure No. 112 – The structures, guys, conductor and insulators are all in good condition. No sag was measured.

Compliance tool used: No compliance tool used

Observation 2 - Line 1429 – Integrity

Date & time of visit: 2016-09-08 09:00

Discipline: Integrity Management

Categories:

• Powerlines
• Vegetation Control
• Poles and Towers
• Insulators
• Conductors and Shields
• Dampers & Spacers
• Guy Wires
• Grounding

Facility:

Observations:

General

• Line 1429 consists of 121 structures extending from the Bedford substation to Highgate in the U.S. With the exception of Structure No. 1, the structures observed are all wooden poles, mainly H-type.
• Hydro-Québec filed an application with the Board in 2014 for approval to temporarily bypass Structures 1, 2 and 3 for a major project. The Board approved the bypasses in a letter dated May 6, 2014. During the inspection we checked to ensure that the structures affected by the temporary bypasses were put back in their original locations.
• For the same project, Hydro-Québec asked the Board for approval to temporarily move the meter to Highgate. Because resources were not available, the Board inspectors could not enter the substation to check the current condition of metering facilities.
• Aerial and ground patrol frequency and the method used to prioritize deficiencies (P1 to P4) for correction are the same as for IPL 7040. However, the schedules are different and there are additional requirements for line 7040 owing to its importance.
• Hydro-Québec primarily uses suspended single strings of glass insulators with seven discs, except at some road crossings, where it uses double strings for extra solidity.

• Structure No. 1 – This is a new trellis tower installed in 2015. The structure was grounded using shielded wire. The suspended conductor and insulator strings are in good condition. The cross members are solid and there is no sign of loose bolts on the structure.
• Structure No. 2 – This is a wooden H-shaped pole. The pole is grounded using a separate skywire. We observed « Test & Treat (T&T) » seals on the pole, indicating that wood samples were taken and analysed to assess condition (the wood treatment contract was with a third-party). The pole is clearly labelled, and the suspended conductor and insulator strings are in good condition.
• Structure No. 3 – This is a new wooden angle pole. The conductors and insulators are in satisfactory condition.
• Structure No. 3-4 – Spans the road. We measured the sag at what was determined to be its lowest point, and it measured 13.1 m, which is higher than the recommended 5.8 m for 120 kV (L-L), as per standard CSA C22.3 No. 15.
• Structure No. 4 – This pole dates back to 1985. Because it spans the road, suspended double strings of glass insulators provide greater solidity. Two cross members, rather than one, are used for the same reason. The poles are grounded via skywires, and we observed T&T seals. We did not see any conductor deformation and the insulators are in good shape.
• Structure No. 5 – The characteristics are the same as Structure No. 4, except for a single string of suspended insulators and a single cross member. The wooden pole, the conductors and the three phases are in satisfactory condition. We did not observe any woodpecker-related problems in the area.
• Structure No. 5-6 – Spans a shallow watercourse, and although there is no commercial shipping on it, small vessels can use the watercourse (Class 1, Table 3, CSA 22.3 No. 15). We estimate that the sag in the middle of the river measures approximately 9 m, which is an acceptable distance, given that the CSA standard authorizes 7.3 m.
• Structure No. 6 – The structure is on the other side of the watercourse and was inspected using binoculars. The wooden pole, conductor and insulator seem to be in satisfactory condition.
• Structure No. 52 – This is a recently constructed (2015) angle pole with three cross members. It cannot be accessed directly so was also inspected using binoculars. The wood is in new condition, the insulator is in satisfactory condition, there is no deformation on the conductor and no compression-related splicing was observed on the conductor.
• Structure No. 54-55 – Poles are wooden and date back to 1985. It spans the road, and the pole, conductor and suspended glass insulator are in satisfactory condition. The sag measures 9.8 m, which is above the 5.8 limit in CSA C22.3 No. 15.
• • Structure No. 55-56 – Spans a pasture. Wooden pole No. 55 was built in 1985. The sag from the conductor measures 6.6 m. Given that the pasture is not generally used by pedestrians, standard CSA C22.3 could be interpreted to require a sag of 4.3.
• Structure No. 56 – This is a new angle structure comprising three independent wooden poles that were built recently (2015) to replace the old structure, which had deteriorated. There are vibration dampers on the jumper pole. The wooden poles, conductor and insulators are in satisfactory condition.
• Structure No. 16 – This is an old wooden pole. The pole, conductor and glass insulator are in satisfactory condition. Some skywires have been cut and stolen. Hydro-Québec plans to replace them during the September 19 outage.
• Structure No. 15 – Same characteristics as Structure No. 16.
• Structure No. 14 – Same characteristics as Structure No. 16.

Compliance tool used: No compliance tool used

Observation 3 - Environment and vegetation

Date & time of visit: 2016-09-07 11:00

Discipline: Environmental Protection

Categories:

• Vegetation
• Vegetation Control
• Species of Concern
• Socio-economic
• Navigation and Navigation Safety
• Wildlife
• Species of Concern

Facility:

Observations:

General

• Hydro-Québec operations must comply with an internal environmental standard (EVAL001), which targets activities that call for an environmental assessment. Additionally, Hydro-Québec’s environmental management system is ISO 14001 certified, and Hydro-Québec is carrying out internal environmental assessments of scheduled maintenance activities.
• Sensitive environmental elements, such as habitats of threatened or vulnerable species (e.g., wood turtle), wetlands, national historic sites and municipal water intakes, are mapped in a geographical information system. 
• Hydro-Québec carries out regular vegetation inventories in compliance with a standard. This includes ground and aerial reconnaissance of terrestrial vegetation to guide vegetation management plans and follow-up for quality control.
• We observed healthy vegetation on the rights-of-way, often including indigenous plants, crop plants and naturalized species.
• The land comprises mainly crop land, pasture and forest.
• We observed some invasive species sporadically along the rights-of-way, however the species surveyed are well established in the region.
• We observed signs of vegetation management carried out in recent years at several locations along the rights-of-way.
• Woody vegetation regrowth is as expected in terms of growth and species, resulting from a review of vegetation management activities in recent years for Lines L7040 and L1429.
• We observed the presence of common reed (phragmite), an invasive plant, near Structure No. 112 (line 7040) among the woody vegetation (shrubs). The Board inspectors believe that the presence of this plant is related to land use, not directly to Hydro-Québec activities, and that this invasive species grows prolifically in the region.
• The banks of the watercourses between Structures Nos. 5 and 6 (Line 1429) show good vegetation growth, and erosion is not a concern.
• The company’s representatives indicated that other vegetation control and mitigation measures were adopted for vegetation management purposes near watercourses. 
• There is no aerial warning marker on the sag between Structures No. 5 and 6 (Line 1420) on the water crossing, but standard CSA 22.3 does not require markers.
• Tree height beneath the structures and conductors is well below the minimum required clearances.
• Vegetation restoration is appropriate in the areas earmarked for construction and post-maintenance rehabilitation in 2014 and 2015 (L1429).
• We did not observe any hazardous trees in the areas in question or near the structures we visited as part of the inspections.

Compliance tool used: No compliance tool used

Observation 4 - Documents reviewed

Date & time of visit: 2016-09-09 09:00

Discipline: Integrity Management

Categories:

• Powerlines
• Vegetation Control
• Poles and Towers
• Insulators
• Conductors and Shields
• Dampers & Spacers
• Guy Wires
• Grounding

Facility:

Observations:

• Hydro-Québec, GEN-C-021 Common instructions used by Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie and New York Power Authority to operate the 765 kV Châteauguay – Massena interconnection line (7040) Châteauguay – Massena, December 22, 2015, 89 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, National Energy Board inspections of interconnection lines L1429/L4451-4452/L7040, Presentation, September 7, 2016, 17 slides.
• Hydro-Québec, Vegetation control – Circuit ref.: 1429, May 9, 2014, 30 pages. 
• Hydro-Québec, Vegetation control – Circuit ref.: 7040, 20/03/2014, 49 pages. 
• Hydro-Québec, Response methods, requirements, specific technical specifications, Chapter F, version dated October 20, 2015, 53 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-ENV-N-ÉVAL001 Activities requiring an impact study, environmental assessment or internal environmental assessment, revised April 28, 2014, 11 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-LIA-N-CON0200 Safe power clearances, spacing and distances applicable to overhead transmission lines, revised December 21, 2011, 35 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-LIA-N-GEN0005 – prioritizing deficiencies – support tool, 2006, 33 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-LIA-N-GEN0005 Systematic, corrective and conditional maintenance and inspection of receiving ends of overhead transmission lines, revised June 25, 2013, 22 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-LIA-P-ISO2003 Live and dead audits of porcelain and glass insulators for 44 kV to 765 kV AC circuits, September 14, 2006, 4 pages.
• Hydro-Québec, TET-LIA-P-ISO2003 Live and dead audits of porcelain and glass insulators for 44 kV to 765 kV AC circuits, revised November 7, 2005, 22 pages.

Compliance tool used: No compliance tool used

Observations (company follow-up required)

Identified non-compliances to company plans or procedures are non-compliances either to: