Thousands of B.C. Hydro customers across the Peace region should prepare for planned power outages over the next two weeks as the utility completes maintenance and infrastructure upgrades.
The scheduled outages, running from Thursday through Aug. 12, are expected to affect more than 2,500 customers in Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope.
Chetwynd is expected to see the highest number of planned outages, with three scheduled interruptions on Aug. 6, Aug. 7 and Aug. 12.
Other planned outages include:
- Dawson Creek: Thursday and Aug. 11
- Fort Nelson: Aug. 6
- Fort St. John: July 31 and Aug. 7
- Hudson’s Hope: Aug. 2
B.C. Hydro said the outages are necessary to allow crews to safely replace utility poles and carry out work on electrical equipment.
“Planned outages are outages that we typically schedule in advance so that we can work safely on our system,” BC Hydro states on its website.
“They allow us to conduct emergency repairs, system upgrades, maintenance, new connections and other infrastructure-related work such as pole replacements and voltage conversions.”
The utility is encouraging residents to prepare for temporary power interruptions by having an emergency plan and keeping an emergency kit stocked with essentials such as bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlights and extra batteries.
Customers can find a complete list of planned outages and outage preparedness information on the BC Hydro website.
