NSP defends reliability in open letter
SYDNEY — In an open letter posted to its website and social media and sent to customers who receive e-bills, Nova Scotia Power defended its reliability amid controversy on recent power outages.
The letter, from chief operating officer Mark Sidebottom, looks to address questions raised about the power outages, including the Jan. 2-3 snowstorm that dumped upwards of 30 centimetres of snow in Cape Breton and left some without power for more than 48 hours.
“You expect and deserve reliable, affordable power and I want you to know we take our reliability commitment to you seriously,” wrote Sidebottom.
Sidebottom said in the letter that NSP met overall system reliability targets in 2020 that were set with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board in 2016.
“Results for the average length and frequency of power interruptions have improved over the last five years by seven per cent and 16 per cent respectively," he wrote.
“In 2020, data shows that on average, customers in Nova Scotia experienced 2.7 outages and 6.6 hours without power — that includes outages during large weather events. It means customers on average had their power on 99.92 per cent of the time.”
He noted that NSP performs similarly in frequency and duration of power outages when compared to other Atlantic Canada electrical utilities.
There were crews located throughout Cape Breton prior to the Jan. 2-3 storm, said Sidebottom in a phone interview with the Post. He said part of NSP’s standard storm planning is looking at where a storm is headed and prestaging crews where hardest hit spots are expected.
“The crews were definitely biased towards the Cape Breton area. … We did two things: We pre-staged crews and we also sent crews once we knew other areas were free of damage.”
Smart meter upgrades to modernize the power system, which began in October 2019, are expected to be completed in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality around April or May of this year, according to a spokesperson for NSP. However, the technology will not be turned on until all upgrades are complete across the province, which is expected later this year.
These upgrades will solve the issue of "nested" outages, Sidebottom said, where a smaller outage occurs within a larger one.
To learn more and read the full text of Nova Scotia Power’s letter, please visit https:// www.nspower.ca/about-us/ reliability.