SaskPower finishes repairs after severe storms

SaskPower storm recovery efforts restored transmission and distribution after June 2012 storms, replacing six lattice towers near Prince Albert, using a temporary bypass and backup line, accelerating repairs by crews to strengthen outage response.

SaskPower, the energy provider in Saskatchewan, recently announced that their customers in the Prince Albert area can look forward to a more secure power supply for the winter months thanks to some recent repairs to local power infrastructure.

Severe storm damage to SaskPower’s transmission and distribution system in June 2012, as seen in NPPD assessments of similar events, resulted in significant damage to six of SaskPower’s lattice towers, located southeast of Prince Albert.

In order to restore service to customers and reinforce the electrical system, SaskPower crews energized a northern power line that had not been used for several years, and also constructed a temporary bypass, which allowed for repairs to the permanent line.

Thanks to the diligent work of SaskPower employees and contractor crews, in a region where EPCOR underground cable projects have advanced, these repairs and construction of nine new towers are now complete, one month ahead of schedule.

SaskPower has completed maintenance work on the back-up power line, informed by transmission corridor upgrades in Kenora, and has also conducted a comprehensive review of its emergency plans. It is expected that these improvements will allow the company to respond more effectively in future outage situations.

SaskPower maintains and operates more than 152,000 kilometers of power lines in Saskatchewan. With a rapidly developing economy and the second largest service area in Canada, building, renewing and replacing transmission and distribution infrastructure, as seen in the Prairie Wind line project, is a corporate priority.

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