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“As we reconnect clients who had misplaced energy, others are experiencing outages,” says chief government Sophie Brochu.
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Energy outages attributable to the winter storm that began sweeping throughout Quebec on Friday morning may final till no less than Tuesday for some clients, Hydro-Québec mentioned on Saturday.
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About 155,000 clients have been with out energy as of 9 p.m. Saturday due to greater than 2,600 separate outages. Greater than 40,000 of these are in Quebec Metropolis, in contrast with about 26,000 in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and round 13,000 every in Mauricie and the Laurentians.
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Though Hydro-Québec crews have managed to reconnect about 200,000 clients since 4 p.m. Friday, an equal quantity have misplaced energy within the interim due to excessive winds, Hydro-Québec chief government Sophie Brochu mentioned. File gusts of as much as 125 kilometres an hour have been recorded in Quebec Metropolis, mentioned Régis Tellier, Hydro-Québec’s vice-president of operations and upkeep.
“We’re in a sport of snakes and ladders,” Brochu instructed reporters Saturday by way of videoconference. “As we reconnect clients who had misplaced energy, others are experiencing outages. Because of this collectively, we have to have a whole lot of persistence and resilience. You will need to know that we’re doing every part to reconnect individuals as quickly as doable.”
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About 1,200 Hydro-Québec staff and contractors are working 16-hour shifts to revive energy, Brochu mentioned. Some groups will work in a single day on patrol work, she mentioned.
“Clearly, the brand new outages that occurred in a single day sophisticated a bit of bit the work that must be carried out,” Éric Fillion, Hydro-Québec’s government vice-president and chief working officer, mentioned in Montreal. “By finish of day, we should always be capable of provide you with a greater forecast. It’s unlucky, however positively there might be clients with out energy Monday and Tuesday.”
Apart from Quebec Metropolis, Côte-Nord, Chaudière-Appalaches and Gaspésie are among the many areas the place winds have been the fiercest, Hydro-Québec executives mentioned. A number of roads have been closed, similar to Freeway 138 between Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles, which makes it harder for crews to achieve transmission traces.
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Outages in western Quebec are “just about behind us,” Fillion mentioned. “On the east coast, there are nonetheless new outages occurring.”
Ice storms within the Côte-Nord area have pressured three transmission traces offline, Fillion mentioned. Whereas the non permanent lack of these traces isn’t affecting Hydro-Québec clients within the province, it does restrict the corporate’s skill to export energy, Fillion mentioned.
Crews might be dispatched by helicopter every time doable to examine the transmission traces, which stretch throughout a whole lot of kilometres, removed from cities and villages, Fillion mentioned. Present climate situations are stopping helicopters from taking off, however executives are hopeful flights will resume Saturday afternoon, he mentioned.
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“It’s doable that some traces are down. It’s doable that there are different damages to our gear, however at this second we’re not in a position to affirm this,” Fillion mentioned.
The complexity of the state of affairs means it’s tough for Hydro-Québec to be particular on when energy might be restored. The corporate needs to be able to verify approximate delays by finish of day Saturday, Fillion mentioned.
“Clearly, we work as quick as doable, however safely,” he mentioned. “That’s the prime focus.”
Hydro-Québec’s first precedence is to deal with 911 calls, Tellier mentioned. Restoring energy to key purchasers similar to hospitals, retirement properties and municipal services similar to water processing crops comes subsequent.
One-quarter of whole outages are at the moment affecting fewer than 5 purchasers, and half of outages are affecting fewer than 20 clients, Fillion mentioned.
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“What’s tough with a state of affairs such because the one we’re coping with throughout Quebec is that we now have a whole lot of small outages which can be affecting a small variety of purchasers,” he mentioned. “It requires a whole lot of groups on the bottom to handle these points.”
Prudence can also be so as. Brochu requested motorists to decelerate once they move Hydro-Québec crews by the aspect of the street. She additionally suggested Quebecers to remain effectively away from downed energy traces.
Hydro-Québec crews scramble to revive energy to 342,000 households
Auditor basic deplores ‘marked decline’ in Hydro-Québec’s reliability
ftomesco@postmedia.com
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