Hot News: NB Power outages spark debate over avoiding future problems

This week's spike in power outages after a snow storm has sparked a debate on how to protect electricity users from prolonged outages in the future.

NB Power had more than 48,000 customers without power at its peak this week and the majority of those outages were in the Fredericton area.

In the last year, there have been a series of major storms, including post-tropical storm Arthur, that have left tens of thousands of people without electricity and raised questions about what can be done in the future to reduce the impact of these storms.

Tony O'Hara, the chief technology officer and vice-president of engineering at NB Power, said trees are still to blame for the extent of the outages.

He said the wet, heavy snow continues to topple trees onto power lines in these storms. He said NB Power is ramping up its tree-trimming plans, which should alleviate some of the problems.

But O'Hara said the utility is also in the process of re-evaluating how it designates the standards for equipment and other infrastructure in different parts of the province.

O'Hara said the entire province has been categorized as 'heavy loading,' which means the utility has to factor in a certain amount of ice buildup and wind on power lines.

The NB Power executive said that could change in northern and coastal parts of the province.

'It looks like what we are going to be doing is re-establishing a portion of the province to be considered extreme loading,' he said.

That would mean equipment in those regions would be built to a higher standard in those areas. More line workers needed

While NB Power is looking at its future equipment needs, the union representing line workers believes the utility should consider beefing up the number of staff who are responsible for reconnecting power when it goes out.

Ross Galbraith, the business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 37, said there are 170 line workers at NB Power compared to more than 300 roughly 20 years ago.

He said NB Power should consider adding another 30 line workers and then doubling the amount of apprentices that it funds each year.

'Utilities have come to rely on each other as a way of saving money,' he said.

'None of these utilities staff up with enough people to deal with a huge storm situation. But it also means that a lot of utilities are starting to run lean. As the weather changes and we are seeing more extreme events, it tells us that running lean, we are probably running too lean.'

Galbraith said the number of power line technician apprenticeships in Atlantic Canada declined by about 24 per cent between 2001 and 2005.

He said only 12 to 15 students a year can enrol in the line technician apprenticeship program. So he said it is necessary to starting boosting that number now to meet future needs.

NB Power officials have been travelling around the province in recent weeks and warning customers to prepare for longer electrical outages in the future.

The information sessions were designed to tell people how to deal with extreme weather conditions.

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