Vaughan, ON – With rainy weather expected this weekend, Alectra crews are continuing their line “washing blitz” to help minimize intermittent outages that have been experienced in York Region and parts of Peel Region. We’re working 24/7 to clean salt residue and contamination from power lines to help prevent further outages, but there is a risk of more issues this weekend.
Alectra and other utilities that operate in cold climates can expect to see some outages caused by salt and other contamination every winter. Salt and other de-icing products used on roads during the prolonged stretch of cold and snowy weather that we experienced throughout December, January and February, have made their way onto overhead distribution lines.
“What is unique about this winter is that the levels of salt and contamination on Alectra’s equipment and infrastructure are considerable, and customers are experiencing more outages compared to recent years,” said Jim Butler, Vice-President of Centralized Operations, Alectra Utilities. “The last time that the GTHA experienced something similar was in 2015, which was a winter that was also marked by a prolonged cold snap.”
When temperatures rise and rain hits, as we anticipate this weekend, that contamination can cause electrical arcing, sometimes resulting in pole fires, damaged equipment, or brief outages.
Alectra’s Washing Blitz
The way to prevent outages is to wash the salt contamination off of our infrastructure. Alectra does this as part of its standard maintenance program, however, the challenge this winter has been that washing cannot be undertaken at very cold temperatures. When temperatures warmed up sufficiently last week, Alectra began operating a full washing blitz to physically remove contaminants from overhead power line equipment. Additional crews and support contractors have also been deployed to support washing and restoration efforts to help prevent further outages.
We apologize for the inconvenience and want to assure customers we’re working hard to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible. We appreciate customers’ continued patience and understanding as we work through this issue. The safety of our employees, contractors and the community is our top priority.
Customers can get outage updates on the company’s X account, @AlectraNews, or by viewing the outage map at alectrautilities.com.