On our own steam, for three or four weeks

Our power needs are in our own hands it seems, BC Hydro has set up two thermal generators that run on natural gas to provide the electricity needs for the North Coast while they repair the transmission tower toppled by an avalanche on Monday.

Prince Rupert was knocked off the provincial grid on Monday and dealt with a black out for two to three hours while BC Hydro could get their two thermal generators up and on line by mid Monday.

While there is no anticipation of further problems to the Rupert power supply until the repairs are made, BC Hydro is asking residents of the North coast to conserve their power so as to enable the generators to keep up to demand and provide a steady supply of power to the community.

The Daily News had full details on the power outage and BC Hydro’s temporary fix in the Tuesday edition.

GENERATORS POWERING CITY AFTER HYDRO LINE SEVERED
Repairs are likely to take three weeks, people urged to conserve energy
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Pages one and three

The North Coast is no longer connected to the provincial hydro grid after a snow slide took out a large metal transmission tower.

Dave Conway, community relations manager for Northern B. C., said the slide Monday morning took out the tower and respective power lines, leaving Prince Rupert and Port Edward without power until a generator could be brought on line.

“We have two thermal generating stations in the Prince Rupert area,” said Conway. “At this time, Prince Rupert and the surrounding area are receiving their electrical supply from these generators.

“We are asking customers t use their power conservatively, to be power smart and turn off tings they aren’t using. We are not anticipating any further disruptions in service.”

The generators produce enough power to supply the community using natural gas.

“If (customers being power smart) takes a load off the generators. The more electricity people use, the more load it puts on the generators,” he said.

“If we lose the generators and until we get the transmission tower and the transmission lines back in place, there will be no electricity supply until we can get the generator back up, but we don’t anticipate any service problems.”

It will take three weeks to repair the damage from the slide, which is being described by the Canadian Avalanche Association as a mid-sized avalanche.

The two generators will provide 45 megawatts, however the supply is at a slightly higher frequency than the usual current.

“What that means is that any equipment that is sensitive electrical equipment, it can affect it, but what most people will notice is that their clocks will run faster,” said Conway.

A wet heavy snow storm last week brought the city to standstill, with power and cable outages, that were largely required by Thursday afternoon.

In Terrace and the Nass Valley, the snowfall was even heavier, with almost a half a metre of snow falling and power outages lasting several days.

According to the Canadian Avalanche Association, avalanches can occur after snow storms when the weather warms up.

On the upside, at least Shames Mountain has a good snow base for spring skiing.

The mountain currently has a meter of snow over an existing five metre base. They can no longer give an accurate reading of snow pack mid mountain, because the gauge has disappeared under the pack, but they estimate the snow pack at more than 600 centimetres.

Environment Canada is currently predicting sun until Thursday when it will begin to rain in Prince Rupert, with highs around five or six degrees and more snow in Terrace on Thursday and rain on Friday.