The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a non-profit organization which hosts an annual summer fair in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Other than the fair, Hastings Park is also the home of Playland (Amusement Park), Hastings Park Horse Race Track, the Pacific Coliseum (former home of the NHL Vancouver Canucks), the PNE Forum, and the PNE Agrodome. It was formerly the site of Empire Stadium, which has been demolished and replaced with a public soccer field. In 2011 the City issued the Hastings Park / PNE Master Plan – A New Vision for Hastings Park to transform Hastings Park into a greener, year-round destination for park use, culture, sport and recreation, pleasure, and fun. Highlights of the plan include relocating and expanding Playland, connecting to Burrard Inlet, adding park space and natural habitats, creating celebratory spaces, and acknowledging Hasting Park’s history.
Early in 2015 DMD were retained to undertake a review of the existing electrical, communications and lighting infrastructure and develop a conceptual design and cost estimate for upgrades within the context of the Master Plan and future needs. DMD undertook a complete review of the existing 4kV and 12.5kV electrical system throughout the entire 150 acre park. The existing system included various sub-stations, transformers, overhead and underground feeds, telecommunications feeds to venues and buildings throughout the site. DMD were able to extract data from BC Hydro’s DAD system which was used to define existing demand and peak loads along with overall power consumption and rate schedules. We reviewed rate schedules and costs in detail and provided a complete assessment. Also included is a complete assessment of the telecommunications system which included copper and fibre cables fed throughout the site.
Based on the Master Plan a conceptual design addressing replacing aged infrastructure and future needs was developed. To maximize flexibility the design involved the use of 24 outdoor unit substations which utilize Envirotemp FR3 and E200 environmentally safe and flame resistant insulating oil and vacuum switches ranging from 1MVA to 5MVA along with 5 Vista switches with looping of feeders to improve redundancy. In addition to the improved reliability these units will free up valuable building space and real estate in the park. Feeder duct banks were located to be common trenched with other utilities (water, san, storm, etc) to reduce cost and minimize impacts to the park. The design took into account a multi-phase installation strategy over 25 years. A report, drawings and a detailed cost estimate was provided for electrical, communications and lighting. In addition we reviewed various energy efficiency and load shedding measures to reduce power consumption. This included exploring alternate energy sources and power generation such as wind and solar.
