Safety Posts

What is SALT SPRAY and how does it affect the electricity system?

What is SALT SPRAY and how does it affect the electricity system?

20 11 , 2018

When strong winds blow over the ocean, the wind can pick up salt from the sea – this is called salt contaminated moisture or salt spray.

 

As it is blown around by the wind, salt will deposit on every surface it encounters such as trees, vehicles, buildings, and most critical for electrical utilities, power line insulators. When enough salt builds up the insulating capability of power line insulators can become compromised. When this happens they start to break down causing very small amounts of electricity to flow over the surface of the insulator. This can be heard as a faint buzzing sound, and when it’s dark out, you may even see intermittent sparks that appear to jump along the surface of the insulator. These sparks of electricity are nothing to fear or be concerned about. This sparking may last for hours or even days, depending on the weather. They will disappear when the sparking either burns away the salt deposits or rain/snow washes it away.

 

Occasionally, salt contamination on insulators can become severe enough to cause short circuits to develop. These are heard as very loud bursts of noise and seen as electrical arcing flashes – but for very short periods of time – a split second. These short circuits may cause momentary power outages (between 2 to 15 seconds). There is no need to report these power interruptions.

 

Sometimes salt spray contamination can result in longer outages (a period of hours or even days) until crews can replace the affected equipment or weather conditions improve. If your power is out for longer than a few minutes, please report using our outage line: 1-800-474-5711 or our online outage form: https://www.newfoundlandpower.com/Outages/Report-a-Power-Outage.

 

Depending on wind speeds this salty air can be carried over long distances. This means you don’t have to live next to the ocean for you to see/experience the effects the salt can have on the electricity system.

 

Always ensure you are prepared for an outage. Our weather can be unpredictable, so make sure to sign up for our Outage Alert service and always have an emergency kit on hand. For more information visit https://www.newfoundlandpower.com/Outages/About-Outages/Prepare-for-an-Outage.

Do you belong on our Special Care Customer List?

Do you belong on our Special Care Customer List?

18 10 , 2018

If you have life-sustaining medical equipment that is reliant upon electricity, please register for our Special Care Customer List. If an outage is planned for your area, a member of our Customer Service Team will attempt to contact you so can make important health decisions or alternate arrangements. Visit our website for more information.

Keep Your Children SAFE this Summer

Keep Your Children SAFE this Summer

21 06 , 2017

Children don’t always know, or remember, what can harm them, so it’s important to teach your children that electrical equipment is extremely dangerous.

  • Never tamper with electrical equipment and teach your children the meaning of danger signs.
  • Never climb electrical infrastructure or enter substation yards.
  • Do not swim in reservoirs around hydroelectric generating plants. The operation of the plant may cause water conditions in the reservoir to change quickly, creating strong underwater currents.
  • Never build a tree house near power lines, and keep children from climbing trees growing near power lines.
  • Only fly kites and model planes in open fields away from power lines. If something becomes entangled in a power line, never try to retrieve it. Call us for assistance.

We wish you a safe and happy summer.

THINK SAFE. LIVE SAFE.

A Big Thank You to Our Customers

17 03 , 2017

On Saturday an intense wind storm tore across the Eastern half of the island and brought snow and blizzard conditions throughout Central and Western areas. The Avalon and Burin Peninsulas, St. John’s and surrounding areas were the hardest hit, with significant damage to Hydro’s transmission lines and Newfoundland Power’s transmission and distribution systems. Peak wind gusts of 180 km/h (stronger than recorded during Hurricane Igor) were recorded on the south west Avalon and gusts of 159 km/h were recorded in the St. John’s area, with wind gusting between 120 and 150 km/h throughout the afternoon and well into the evening.

Power outages were caused by airborne debris, trees contacting lines, failed insulators, downed power lines and poles that cracked off or blew down. While high winds hampered restoration efforts on Saturday afternoon and evening, crews from across the island mobilized to help with the power restoration efforts on the Avalon when conditions were safe. They worked long hours throughout the day and night to get power back to our customers.

Our crews and employees would like to sincerely thank you, our customers, for your patience and understanding during this recent winter storm. Your kind words and support as crews worked around the clock in challenging weather conditions to restore power as safely and quickly as possible were very much appreciated.

We know you depend on us when outages happen. We are ready to respond in all kinds of weather, anytime of the day or night, when you need us most. And we won’t rest until the very last customer has their power back on. That’s because…Whenever. Wherever. We’ll be there.

 

 

Hurricane Force Winds Results in Outages for St. John’s, Avalon and Areas

Hurricane Force Winds Results in Outages for St. John’s, Avalon and Areas

11 03 , 2017

Tens of thousands of customers are being impacted by power outages today and tonight, resulting from a loss of supply from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (Hydro) and high winds wreaking havoc on our electricity system. While Hydro’s transmission line serving the St. John’s area has been repaired, 70,000 customers in St. John’s and surrounding areas remain without power as a result of wind damage to the electricity system. Crews are working at full capacity to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Customers could still be restored over night, however, customers should prepare to be without power throughout the night and into tomorrow. Information about outage safety can be found at http://www.newfoundlandpower.com/Outages/HowToPrepare.aspx. Continue to visit http://www.newfoundlandpower.com/Outages/ViewPowerOutages/Details.aspx for updates on your outage or sign up for outage alerts at https://secure.newfoundlandpower.com/CustomerRelations/YourAccount/Alerts/OutageAlerts.aspx.