Explosives used to demolish record-breaking, 3-km-long B.C. power lines
Power lines with a length of over three km that spanned high above Jervis Inlet — located within the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia — have been demolished through a controlled detonation process.
Earlier this week, the explosives instantly sent the lines tumbling and splashing into the inlet’s waters — a demolition process that was likely a first for a marine crossing of this size in North America, according to BC Hydro.
This was the longest marine crossing for the province’s electric utility. As well, when the 138-kilovolt power line crossing was built in the late 1960s, it was the longest marine crossing of its kind in the world.
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The explosives safely cut three steel conductors, each under about 70,000 lb of tension.
Video footage from BC Hydro of the controlled detonation process of removing the record-breaking power lines, and the subsequent recovery of the cables in the water. #bcpolihttps://t.co/8BJCBbbEC7 pic.twitter.com/MUGdHzWkfr
— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) October 24, 2025
Each conductor was severed by explosives individually to prevent entanglement and enable a safe recovery, which involved using a barge equipped with cable reels. This step on its own is believed to be the second longest overwater power line crossing removed by explosive charge globally, with BC Hydro noting that verification of this record is currently underway. An on-site crew of 60 people were involved in the demolition and recovery process.
To safely perform the project, daytime marine traffic was restricted, and BC Ferries temporarily rerouted its service between Saltery Bay and Earls Cove. Over the past week, work was paused a few times when humpback whales were sighted in the waters.
Controlled detonation of power lines over Jervis Inlet, October 2025. (BC Hydro)
The removal of the lines was necessary due to age and advanced corrosion from sea water spray. The demolition was completed ahead of winter, before wind storms and ice could make the lines even more susceptible to failure.
BC Hydro states that for the next phase of the project in Spring 2026, they will be removing and restringing the lines that cross the nearby Agamemnon Channel. This will be followed by the installation of new line across Jervis Inlet by 2027.
Both new replacement lines will have an improved reliability and increased capacity of 230-kilovolts, serving Powell River and the surrounding communities. As well, the new lines will be more visible to air traffic.
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