Distribution Technical Standards and Guides
Latest updates to the Distribution Technical Standards
- ES43 C5-01 has been released on 2023-07-24
- ES43 B1-16 has been revised on 2023-07-07
- ES53 S1-01, ES54 S0-02, ES54 S0-04, ES54 S0-05, ES54 S1-03, and ES54 S1-04 have been revised, and associated advisories 2022-010 R1, 2022-023 R1, and 2023-018 released, on 2023-06-30
- ES54 B3-06 has been released, and associated advisory 2023-019 released, on 2023-06-26
- ES54 standards C1-05, H0-02, H2-04, and W1-05 have been revised, associated advisories 2023-010 and 2023-012 released, May 2023
- ES54 S0 General Notes standards, S1 Secondary Single-Phase Services standards, and S3 Medium-Voltage (Primary) Services standards (S3-01, S3-02, and S3-03) have been revised December 2022
- Advisories 2022-001, 2022-010, and 2022-023 related to ES54 section S Services revisions, December 2022
- ES54 Section F Transformer Pads and Vaults and ES54 Section H Ducts have been revised September 2022.
- Primary Guide: Requirements for customer-owned primary services supplied at 4kV to 35 kV
- Distribution Standards
- ES43 Overhead Electrical – Sections B and C – Clearances and Joint and Secondary Use
- ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section L – Street lighting
- ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section N – Secondaries and services
- ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section R
- ES53 Underground Electrical – Section S – Services
- ES54 Underground Civil Standards
- ES54 Underground Civil – Section S – Services
- ES54 Information Bulletins
- ES55 Design Standards
- Class of Work Specifications
- Revenue metering requirements
- Distribution Generator Interconnections Technical Requirements
- Revenue Metering Bulletin
General Publications
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Underground transformation options for space constrained urban developments [PDF, 323 KB] | June 6, 2022 | June 6, 2022 |
Primary Guide: Requirements for customer-owned primary services supplied at 4kV to 35 kV
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Guide 2021 (Revision 3.1) [PDF, 9.3 MB] | April 2021 | September 30, 2021 |
| Information Bulletin – Release of Primary Guide 2021 (Revision 3.1) [PDF, 199 KB] | April 2021 | April 2021 |
| Customer Guide – Primary Service Connections Process [PDF, 73 KB] | July 2018 | July 2018 |
Distribution Standards
ES43 Overhead Electrical - Sections B and C - Clearances and Joint and Secondary Use
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES43 B - Clearances [PDF, 2.8 MB] | July 7, 2023 | July 7, 2023 |
| ES43 C - Joint and Secondary Use [PDF, 3.6 MB] | July 24, 2023 | July 24, 2023 |
ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section L – Street lighting
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES43 L – Street Lighting [PDF, 1.3 MB] | September 2020 | November 2020 |
ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section N – Secondaries and services
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES43 N0 – Table of Contents [PDF, 807 KB] | November 2012 | November 2012 |
| ES43 N1 – General [PDF, 1.7 MB] | November 2012 | November 2012 |
| ES43 N2 – Service Connections [PDF, 2.4 MB] | November 2012 | November 2012 |
ES43 Overhead Electrical – Section R
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES43 R2-01 – Bonding and Grounding Ground Electrode Installations Ground Rods at Wood Poles and Multiple Ground Rods [PDF, 1.2 MB] | March 2018 | March 2018 |
ES53 Underground Electrical – Section S – Services
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES53 S0 – Table of Contents [PDF, 627 KB] | June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 |
| ES53 S1 – Secondary Services Single Phase [PDF, 898 KB] | June 30, 2023 | July 31, 2023 |
| ES53 S2 – Secondary Services Three Phase [PDF, 1.7 MB] | March 2011 | March 2011 |
| ES53 S3 – Primary Services [PDF, 1.3 MB] | November 2014 |
November 2014 |
| ES53 S4 – Ornamental street lighting services up to 50A [PDF, 444 KB] | October 2003 | October 2003 |
| Information Bulletin 2023-018 – Revised ES53 S1-01 for 120/240 V Single-Phase Secondary Services up to 600 A [PDF, 2.3 MB] | June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 |
| Information Bulletin – Equipment and Connection Changes for Secondary Underground Customer Services, 120/240 V up to 600 A, Single-Phase [PDF, 1.8 MB] | July 2017 | July 2017 |
ES54 Underground Civil Standards
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| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
ES54 Underground Civil Standards [PDF, 28.8 MB] |
June 30, 2023 | July 31, 2023 |
ES54 Underground Civil – Section S – Services
ES54 Information Bulletins
ES55 Design Standards – Section E – Overhead Line Design – Pole Foundation
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES55 E3-04 – Guide for Civil Excavation near Distribution Poles [PDF, 1.7 MB] | February 2018 | February 2018 |
| Information Bulletin – Guide for Civil Excavation near Distribution Poles [PDF, 531 KB] | March 2018 | March 2018 |
ES55 Design Standards - Section Q - Power Quality Standards - General
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES55 Q1-02 – Electromagnetic Compatibility [PDF, 1.7 MB] | January 2015 | January 2015 |
| ES55 Q1-04 – Apparent Power [PDF, 2.1 MB] | February 2017 | February 2017 |
ES55 Design Standards – Section Q - Low-Voltage Customer Emission Limits: Requirements for customer emissions when supplied at 120 V to 600 V
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES55 Q3-04 – Rapid Voltage Changes (RVCs) [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
| ES55 Q3-05 – Voltage Flicker [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
| ES55 Q3-07 – Voltage Unbalance [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
ES55 Design Standards - Section Q - Medium-Voltage Customer Emission Limits: Requirements for customer emissions when supplied at 4 kV to 35 kV
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| ES55 Q4-04 – Rapid Voltage Changes (RVCs) [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
| ES55 Q4-05 – Voltage Flicker [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
| ES55 Q4-07 – Voltage Unbalance [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
| ES55 Q4-09 – Current Harmonics [PDF, 2.4 MB] | December 2016 | December 2016 |
Class of Work Specifications
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Construction of Underground Electrical Distribution Structures by a BC Hydro Contractor (No. 1322 R11) [PDF, 1.1 MB] | July 13, 2016 | July 13, 2016 |
| Construction of Underground Electrical Distribution Structures by a Customer (No. 1323 R10) [PDF, 1.1 MB] | July 13, 2016 | July 13, 2016 |
| Information Bulletin – Backfill, R1 [PDF, 1.4 MB] | February 2015 | February 2015 |
Revenue Metering Requirements
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary Voltage Revenue Metering – 750 V and less [PDF, 5.5 MB] | June 2022 | June 2022 |
| Requirements for Primary Service Revenue Metering - 4kV to 35kV [PDF, 2.0 MB] | July 20, 2022 | July 20, 2022 |
| Complex Revenue Metering [PDF, 1.6 MB] | March 2014 | March 2014 |
Advisory notice: Multiple occupancy metering requirements and resale of electricityThe purpose of the advisory notice [PDF, 94 KB] is to draw the attention of developers and owners of multiple occupancy buildings, and their electrical consultants and contractors to the requirements of BC Hydro's Electric Tariff [PDF, 7.8 MB] in relation to the electricity supply and metering configurations, including for electrical vehicle charging stations, applicable to these buildings. |
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Distribution Generator Interconnections Technical Requirements
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution Generator Interconnection Requirements [PDF, 560 KB] | 2010 | 2010 |
| Distribution Generator Interconnection Requirements Amendment 1 [PDF, 43 KB] | October 15, 2015 | October 15, 2015 |
| Amendment 2 Requirements for terminals supplying ships capable of running in parallel with BC Hydro (CTT Shore Power) [PDF, 407 KB] | October 17, 2017 | October 17, 2017 |
| Distribution Power Generator Islanding Guidelines [PDF, 143 KB] | June 2006 | June 2006 |
| 100 kW and Below Distribution Generation Interconnection Requirements [PDF, 599 KB] | October 17, 2014 | October 17, 2014 |
Revenue Metering Bulletins
| Title | Issue date | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Meter Sockets List [PDF, 109 KB] | September 14, 2022 | September 14, 2022 |
| Conduit Length Material Bulletin [PDF, 170 KB] | February 28, 2022 | February 28, 2022 |
| EATON RCPM 200A Combination Meter Socket and Loadcentre [PDF. 154 KB] | October 25, 2021 | October 25, 2021 |