TORONTO, Aug. 3, 2006 -- Canada NewsWire

 

Hydro One confirms it has now restored power to 61,000 customers since yesterday evening. Approximately 89,000 customers remained without power as of 5 p.m.

Approximately 1000 field staff have been mobilized and dispatched to undertake restoration work in the affected areas. Seven helicopters spent the day conducting aerial surveys of system damage in order to prioritize restoration activities. Surveillance reports indicate thousands of downed poles and trees on lines and in some areas, impassable roads.

Restoration efforts will continue, however, it is expected that due to the nature and extent of the damage, some customers in the most heavily hit areas could remain without power into the weekend or early next week.

Initial reports indicate that the damage is the most extensive in the following areas:

"We recognize that with the long weekend approaching, many of our customers plan to make the trip to cottage country - the part of the province most affected by the storm," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations, Hydro One. "We will continue to work tirelessly to restore power to these areas, however, given the severity of the damage we are seeing, some of our customers may be without power for the duration of the long weekend.

Hydro One confirmed earlier today that the storm also caused damage to 500,000 volt transmission lines and towers north or Barrie, which along with a companion line, provide the major connection between hydroelectric generation in Northern Ontario and major centres in Southern Ontario. Early estimates suggest repairs will take a week to complete. Access to these towers is limited and requires Hydro One to construct temporary roads. A sky crane helicopter will be used to lift the replacement towers weighing over 22,000 lbs each, into place.

With this line out of service, approximately 500MW of hydroelectric generation will be locked into the North. Based on the forecast demand for next week Hydro One does not expect this loss to create any supply issues.

Important Safety Information

Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra caution near fallen power lines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous. People are urged to report to Hydro One the location of the fallen wires as soon as possible. Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be fatal.

Restoring Power to Customers with Customer-Owned Equipment

Hydro One advises customers that their privately-owned electrical equipment may have sustained damage in this week's storm. If you know that your customer-owned equipment is damaged, you will need to hire a qualified electrical contractor to undertake necessary repair work who will then arrange for the required ESA inspection and Hydro One reconnection to restore your power.

For the most recent information on power outages go to

www.HydroOneNetworks.com.

Hydro One owns and operates Ontario's 28,400 kilometers high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 122,000 kilometre low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.2 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

SOURCE: Hydro One

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