Today, Hydro Ottawa deployed crews and equipment to assist Hydro-Québec with power restoration to more than 150,000 customers. Approximately 24 Hydro Ottawa employees will be arriving in the Saint-Jérôme area later this afternoon, and are expected to be there for the next several days.
The power outages are a result of widespread damage to Hydro-Québec’s overhead lines and power system due to strong winds and freezing rain that swept across south-eastern Canada, Wednesday, February 24th. The City of Ottawa was fortunate to avoid the brunt of the storm and damage.
In January Hydro Ottawa announced its membership with the North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Group (NAMAG), made up of 29 neighbouring utilities across north-east Canada and the United States. The partnership enables utilities to quickly deliver not-for-profit assistance in times of crisis.
Quick Facts
- NAMAG provides enhanced lines of communications between member companies to share best practices and plan for significant events.
- Mutual assistance agreements minimize financial risk for all members with a not-for-profit understanding with requesting utilities agreeing to reimburse responding companies for all expenses incurred when providing the assistance.
- When a significant ice storm caused outages to hundreds of thousands of customers in eastern and central Ontario over the Christmas holidays of 2013, Hydro Ottawa sent crews to assist with restoration efforts.
- In 2012, Hydro Ottawa dispatched restoration crews to Connecticut and New Jersey during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Quotes
“I’m grateful to our highly-skilled crews for volunteering to leave their families over the next few days to work some long and difficult hours in order to get power restored for families in Québec. It speaks to the character of our employees that so many of them volunteered to assist our friends at Hydro-Québec in their moment of need.”
- Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer
Media contact
Daniel Séguin
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
Hydro Ottawa
Tel: 613-738-5499 ext. 345
[email protected]