Summerland announces Oct. power outages

SUMMERLAND — Power outages from midnight to 6 a.m. are planned for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 in order to replace switches at the Prairie Valley substation, director of work and utilities Kris Johnson told council Monday.

The district’s electrical system two substations are located at Prairie Valley and Trout Creek

Each substation has numerous switches that allow for the connection and disconnection of the Summerland system from the FortisBC’s transmission system.

“The switches are made of a porcelain material which over times becomes very brittle and poses a safety hazard each time they are operated,” Johnson said.

The new switches are made of a more durable epoxy.

Only the switches at the Prairie Valley substation will be replaced in October.

This work will require a power outage of a total of approximately 12 hours during which time Fortis will isolate the power supply to the substation.

The two shorter outages will balance impact on the public with the ability to complete the work safely and efficiently.

“Staff have been discussing the potential outages with health care centres, senior care facilities and businesses to determine the degree of difficulty. Given enough advanced notice of the dates and times, all said they can deal with two six-hour power outages,” Johnson said.

The district will develop a communication plan to notify the public through the district website, newsletter and social media and through newspapers and radio stations.

“The initial notification will be issued in early September to ensure that the public has as much notice as possible to plan accordingly,” Johnson said.

The areas supplied by the Trout Creek Substation—Trout Creek, Front Bench, Canyon View and the research station—will not be affected.