Northwest Regina sees increase in power outages: SaskPower

Who turned off the lights? That’s the question many in northwest Regina have been asking lately as power outages sweep across the area.

#skoutage west hill is without power again @SaskPower

— delaney (@hockeygurlie123) August 24, 2017

#skoutage #saskpower Mount Royal power out again, was up for an hour and is now gone again

— Michelle Bashutski (@TalkNerdytoMe1) August 24, 2017

Jordan Jackle, spokesperson for SaskPower, said it’s a combination of both planned and unplanned power outages.

Jackle said the unexpected outages come from equipment failure, such as a down power line or from wildlife knocking out equipment.

When it comes to the planned outages, he said it’s generally due to the increase in meter inspections. He added that the power needs to be cut off during inspections as well as during the fix, which, in some cases, could double the outage time.

“If that meter is flagged for repair, the power will have to be turned off again to folks in that immediate vacinity, later when that meter is repaired,” said Jackle.

He added that it’s crucial the power is dislocated while crews investigate, so they can get a better understanding of what’s causing the meter failure or what’s going on inside the meter casing.

As of Friday night, SaskPower has inspected more than 8,500 meters with copper wiring across Saskatchewan, including upwards of 6,600 meters in Regina.

According to Jackle, there have been nine meter fires, due to the dry weather and groundshifting, this summer.