Ever experienced a momentary power outage and wondered what happened?

When something momentarily contacts our power lines, like a squirrel, a tree branch, or a lightning strike, protective equipment automatically shuts off power for a split second to keep the system safe. If the issue clears immediately, power is restored in less than a second.

Without this feature, a quick disturbance could turn into a much longer outage affecting thousands of customers.

Auto-reclose technology helps improve reliability by restoring power quickly when it’s safe to do so. 

Small animals like squirrels sometimes chew into lines or come into contact with a piece of equipment and an energized line. We have animal protection equipment to help reduce outages caused by animal contact.

Severe weather, such as lightning, wind, ice, and snow, can bring down powerlines or damage equipment.

Tree branches can lean on or become tangled in powerlines, causing flickering lights, momentary interruptions, or complete outages. Our forestry contractors work hard year-round to complete preventative vegetation management around powerlines.

Accidents could be caused by contractors contacting powerlines with equipment or a motor vehicle collision with a hydro pole.

Older equipment can fail when weathered by salt, moisture and other elements. Our standard is to use polymer-based insulators and switches, which are more durable and have a longer life span.

Our crews work on essential rebuild and maintenance projects in our communities. Brief outages are required for safe work, so we notify customers at least two days before all planned outages.