Hydro-Québec defends its record

Re: “In the dark about outages” and “At the mercy of Hydro-Québec” (Letters, Sept. 25-26)

In the first half of 2018, our crews responded to 1,000 more outages provincewide compared to the same period in 2017.

We are fully aware of the inconveniences caused by these outages, and we do our very best to lessen the impact.

There are several things to consider regarding outages.

Since the beginning of the year, a number of severe storms have damaged our system, resulting in more outages. When extreme weather events are forecast, we deploy our teams in advance to where the storms are expected to hit, to ensure a rapid response.

Our crews work tirelessly, often in difficult conditions, to re-establish service to customers as quickly as possible. And when equipment on the system needs to be replaced, we select more robust parts to better meet the challenges of our changing climate.

Outages are most often caused by vegetation coming into contact with our system. The more trees in a neighbourhood, the greater the likelihood of outages.

We strive to maintain a balance between preserving the trees that make our neighbourhoods beautiful, and minimizing the risks of outages created by the very same trees. Every year we invest roughly $60 million in vegetation control.

As for Hydro- Québec requesting rate increases, we are committed to keeping them at or below inflation. With increases of 0.3 per cent in 2017 and 0.7 per cent in 2015 and 2016, we have been keeping our promise.

We pride ourselves on the work we do every day, and we’re committed to providing our customers with the best possible service.

Cendrix Bouchard, spokesperson, Hydro-Québec, Montreal