HVDC Vancouver Island is a de-energized high-voltage direct current interconnection between Arnott Substation (ARN) in Delta, British Columbia at on the Canadian mainland, and the Vancouver Island Terminal (VIT) in Duncan, British Columbia on Vancouver Island at . It went into operation in 1968 and was extended in 1977. HVDC Vancouver Island consists of three overhead line sections with a total length of 42 kilometres and two submarine cable sections with a length of 33 kilometres. Pole 1 ceased operation in 2014, and Pole 2 ceased operation in 2016. The infrastructure remains in place and portions may be re-used in the future. Route After its departure from Arnott Substation the overhead power line on the mainland splits at into two branches, one running to the Canoe Pass Terminal at and the other running to the Tsawwassen Beach Terminal at , where the first submarine cable section begins. At , the first submarine cable section ends and a short overhead line section running south-west across Galiano Island starts. The overhead line leaves Galiano Island south of Montague Harbour in an 880-metre-long span, which starts at and ends on Parker Island at . A little to the west, on Parker Island at the overhead line ends and the second submarine cable section begins. At the cable reaches Salt Spring Island and the third overhead line section starts. It crosses Salt Spring Island west-south-westerly. North of Maxwell Point at and Arbutus Point at the overhead line crosses Sansum Narrows, the strait between Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island, by a 1900-metre-long span. After this span the overhead line runs westward to Vancouver Island Terminal near the town of Duncan. History In 1968 the first pole of the HVDC Vancouver Island link went into service. Its static inverters use mercury vapour rectifiers. Each of these rectifiers was 3.35 metres (11 ft) long, 1.22 metres (4 ft) wide and 6.10 metres (20 ft) high and has a weight of 4.5 metric tons. The valves are situated in a hall 26.21 metres (86 ft) long, 11.89 metres (39 ft) wide and 11.28 metres (37 ft) high. The maximum transmission capacity of this pole was 312 megawatts and the transmission voltage was 260 kV. The stations Vancouver Island Terminal and Arnott Substation were designed and delivered by Swedish company ASEA (later ABB). The Swedish team of some 10 people were headed for the first phase by Ivan