Reliability

We know outages cause real inconvenience and challenges for customers. That’s why we spend more than $100 million each year on repairs, upgrades and improvements to the electrical system across the province, including about $20 million a year on cutting back trees from power lines.

We work hard to stay ahead of problems. We have proactive plans to work on different sections of the system each year. We’re always inspecting, testing and monitoring our infrastructure.

The reality is we have a large, complex system that is exposed to all elements and there are going to be outages. 

We must always balance investment with cost to customers.

Outages can be caused by elements out of our control - everything from motor vehicle accidents, animals or birds coming into contact with electrical equipment and construction.  

Trees damaged or weakened during bad storms don’t always fall or come down on lines until days or weeks later.

Outages happen for many different reasons, but severe weather, which can cause trees to come into contact with our lines, is the main cause of power outages in Nova Scotia.

That’s why we invest about $20 million in tree trimming and maintenance every year. Our vegetation management team clears trees and branches along approximately 1,000 km of power lines annually.

Severe weather is one of the top causes of power outages in Nova Scotia. Ice build up, heavy wet snow and high winds can weaken power lines and cause branches or trees to come into contact with our equipment.

Our system is complex, and it is being exposed to more severe weather now than ever before. Our power grid was built over 100 years ago - we are working to strengthen our system to withstand the impacts of a changing climate.

We are experiencing winds at over 80 km/hour more often. There were over 150 hours in 2019 compared to just over 20 hours in 2009. It’s also not safe for our power line technicians to be up in bucket trucks when the winds are that high, which can cause delays in restoring power.

We do our best to predict when the power will be restored during an outage, but estimated restorations times sometimes change once crews get on site and assess the damage.

Initial estimated restoration times on our outage map are based on a number of factors – weather conditions, location of the outage, suspected severity of damage, past outages in your area, and more. Once we’re able to assess the damage and identify anything else that may impact restorations (ex: unsafe situation, unplowed road), we’ll update the estimated restoration time.

When it comes to power outages, trees are without a doubt our biggest culprit. And while they make our province a beautiful place to live, they can interfere with power lines and cause outages. It’s why we have our vegetation management team—they control tree growth near power lines through tree trimming to prevent outages year-round. Last year, we invested about $20 million in planned and requested vegetation management, trimming trees along 756 km of power lines.

Because many municipalities value having roadside trees, we work with them to balance our right-of-way maintenance with their local priorities. In certain urban areas of Halifax, for example, the municipality conducts its own tree maintenance to ensure those local priorities are met. 

While it’s true that power outages can be less frequent with underground lines, when they do occur, they’re harder to locate and take longer to repair.

Underground lines are also much more expensive. The main reason we don’t typically bury power lines is because we’re regulated to provide the most cost-effective option for customers. Burying lines can be 10 times more expensive for customers than running lines overhead. Nova Scotia’s rocky terrain also makes it a challenge.

In cases where lines are buried, we usually work with developers or municipalities that finance the difference in cost, so customers aren’t impacted. For us to bury lines in Halifax only, for example, it would be more costly for customers throughout the province.

It’s also important to note that burying the lines could be inconvenient for residents. It would require digging up streets and sidewalks and would damage the root systems of trees.