Snow overnight keeps BC Hydro crews busy
Snow has caused multiple outages in the Lower Mainland this morning. Nearly 30,000 customers were without power at the peak between 7 and 9 a.m. As of 10 a.m., there are approximately 18,000 customers without power.
The hardest hit areas are Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, Port Moody and Maple Ridge.
BC Hydro crews have been working since early this morning to restore power and are making good progress. However, new outages continue to occur as crews fix problems in individual areas to get power restored.
Crews will continue to work throughout the day. BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for restoration times as crews from the field report back on the type of damage encountered in specific areas and the type of work required to restore power.
Demand for electricity reached three-year high on Friday night
The sustained cold temperatures over the past two weeks led to an increase in electricity demand provincewide. BC Hydro saw electricity demand peak at nearly 10,000 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. on Friday. Not only was this a record for 2016, it was also the highest levels BC Hydro has recorded since 2013.
Electricity demand increased by 19 per cent. That’s more than 1,600 megawatts higher than peak recorded on Friday, December 2 peak before the cold snap began.
Contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
p. 604 928 6468