We were pleased to work with the MLA for Victoria – The Lakes, Keith Bain, and CBRM District 2 Councillor, Earlene MacMullin, to hold this meeting. The focus was on service in the Millville, Point Aconi, Mill Creek, and Southside and Hillside Boularderie Island areas. It was a great opportunity for us to listen to concerns, answer questions, and share information about the reliability work that has been done in the area, as well as what is planned and underway this year.  Our team will also take the feedback from the meeting and look at ways to incorporate it into our work plans. 

We appreciate these opportunities as we take our commitment to safely provide reliable service to our customers very seriously. We understand how challenging power outages can be, which is why we work throughout the year to ensure we are maintaining our infrastructure, keeping trees away from our power lines, and are prepared for storms and severe weather.  Here are some highlights of the work that has been done, or is planned, for these communities.

Vegetation Management (tree trimming) 

• Since 2015, we have invested $1.3 million to trim and remove trees along 52 kilometres of power lines serving Millville, Point Aconi, Mill Creek, and Southside and Hillside Boularderie Island.
• An additional $446,000 is being invested this year to clear another 17 kilometres of lines in these areas.

Upgrades and Maintenance 

• We have made proactive upgrades and maintenance using equipment that's designed to better withstand severe weather and coastal conditions (e.g., bigger, stronger poles and more robust insulators).
• Upgrades to protection devices on the power system, like reclosers, that can reduce the number of customers impacted during storms and reduce the length of power outages.

Inspections  

• Our 33,000 kilometres of power lines are inspected on a regular basis. Power lines in this region are scheduled to be inspected this year. Any work identified during inspections is prioritized and incorporated into work plans.   

• Since 2018, more than $3 million has been invested into the transmission system serving the Boularderie area to replace and repair structures, insulators, and cross arms identified through inspection program.

Extreme Weather