By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
BC Hydro took the North Thompson region, which stretches from Heffley to Valemount, off the grid for 12 hours on October 6th to complete maintenance work on its infrastructure. Valemount and McBride were moved to a local Independent Power Producer and did not lose power, while areas south of Valemount such as Clearwater and Blue River were left without power throughout the outage.
The work was successful and the company believes its electrical infrastructure is stronger and more reliable as a result, says Community Relations Manager Susan Edgell.
The work, which was completed by 200 crews, included vegetation management and maintenance work in substations, according to Edgell. Crews identified substations with poor connections that may cause unplanned outages in the future, she said. They also replaced substation equipment that may cause outages.
“Proactively maintaining and replacing this key equipment in our substations means there is [a smaller] chance that something will fail and cause the power to go out unexpectedly,” Edgell wrote in an email to The Goat.
Additionally, crews replaced damaged insulator glass and repaired transformer oil leaks, according to Edgell.
Before scheduling the outage, Hydro consulted with First Nations to determine when would be the best day for an extended outage.
“First Nations in the area were in full support. They understood the value of the outage and that this work would help stave off future outages,” Edgell said.
After the company consulted with First Nations, Edgell contacted local politicians and other community stakeholders. They were overall in support of the outage, but some expressed concern about the 12-hour length, she said.
“The length of the outage was necessary because crews were working on high-voltage transmission lines,” Edgell told The Goat. “The scope of work was incredibly involved, not the kind where you can put your tools down after six hours, re-energize the lines and just walk away. A full 12 hours was needed in order to complete the complex work both safely and effectively.”
