NB Power reinforces lines, changes communications plan before next big storm

January's paralyzing ice storm has prompted NB Power to aim for more accuratetime estimates for restoring power, the utility's CEO said Monday.

NB Power is also looking for ways to improve grid resilience in vulnerable areasacross the province,NB Power president and CEOGatanThomas said.

"Weknowwe can improve on various aspects, especially with respect to communication and also strengthening the system," Thomas said in an interview on Information Morning Fredericton.

"We're working on these two aspects."

A report on the ice storm released Friday made51 recommendations to strengthen government's response to natural disasters and emergencies.

Itrecommended NB Power provide customers with worst-case scenarios for restoring power, rather than the constantly missed restoration times experienced after the Januarystorm.

Thethree-day ice stormknocked out power to about 133,000 homes and businesses, affecting almost 300,000 people at its peak.

Some people were without electricity for 11 days.

• EMO staffing 'grossly inadequate' during devastating ice storm, report finds
• Ice storm cleanup bill biggest in NB Power history at $30M
• New Brunswick ice storm knocks out power to more than 100,000 customers

The storm also claimed two lives, and 45 people were taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning as they tried to heat their homes with generators or barbecues.

Because there were so many roads that were blocked by poles and trees it was basically impossible for the first two to three days to access them.-Gatan Thomas, NB Power president

Throughout the storm, Thomas said, the infrastructure in the area was resilient but there were weak spots.

"We have to take into account, when we lose a corner pole or anchored poles at each end, once those anchors are gone it has a cascading effect," he said.

"There's nothing really holding the rest of the polesa lot of the poles simply toppled."

One of the biggest challenges during the major storm,was the lack of access to the area where lines and poles were damaged.

The utility also underestimated the number of poles that were down.More than 600 poles had to be replaced, and 150 transformers and 52 kilometres of distribution lines required repairs.

"Because there were so many roads that were blocked by poles and trees it was basically impossible for the first two to three days to access them," he said.

In future storms, he said, NB Power plans to focus on clearing roads quickly, even if there are fewer customers in that particular area. This will allow crews to properly assess the damage right away.

The Canadian Standards Association classifies New Brunswick as a "heavy loading" zone, requiring NB Power to design infrastructure to withstand 12.5 millimetres of ice buildup. The association's most rigorous "severe" rating stipulates 19-millimetre resiliency.

But the Acadian Peninsula saw ice buildup of between 50 and 100 millimetres on trees and equipment, the storm report found.

"We did the very best we could having applied all the lessons learned from the previous storms," Thomas said.

What's being done

This fall, the utility will start reinforcing infrastructure, particularly power lines near the coast, towithstand bigger loads.

Thomassaid a lot of work has gone into the transmission system feedingthe Acadian Peninsula.

"Our neighbours are not all affected by ice storms of this nature, and they're not near the coast lines, where you have the most impact from the winds," he said.

New designs willhave metalcrossarms on all transmission poles, instead of wooden crossarms, which are weaker, especially with ice loading.

Thomas said the utility is also staying away from burying power lines. He said burying the lines would not be economical and has caused more problems than good during major storms.

Thomas pointed to Hurricane Sandy, which swept up the East Coast of the United States five years ago. Someareaswith buried lines were the last to get power back, especially along the coast, where lines are susceptible to high tides, he said.

"You could actually have a lot of damage," Thomas said. "The cost and time to fix those underground installations is actually longer than doing the overhead lines."

Thomas said the utility has been working with the Canadian ElectricityAssociation to review the guidelines to make improvements to the resilience in the grid.

"Our goal is to ensure that we don't have the same areas hit twice," he said.

Long-term perspective

Environmentalist Louise Comeau agreed with the recommendations in the ice storm report but said the reviewfocused on emergency management and lacked along-term perspective on preparing people and their homesfor future storms.

The report identified climate change as the cause of extreme weather events and related health and safety concerns.

But itfailedto recommend how emergency centres and homes can be made more energy self-sufficient, said Comeau, thedirector of the University of New Brunswick'senvironment and sustainable development research centre.

"How do we transition to a more sustainable energy system because, of course, when we are burning oil and coal and natural gas, we are causing climate change," Comeau said.

"So more solar, for example, and battery systems in those emergency facilities, so that when the power goes out, and it will, regardless of what we do to the infrastructure, we are self-sufficient."

Comeau addedthat preparing to be self-sufficient for 72 hours is no longer good enough.

Afterpost-tropical storm Arthur three years ago and the ice storm this winter, people should be prepared to have enough food, water and emergency power for at least two weeks, she said.

"Enough capacity to hang onwithout people arriving to take care of you necessarily is really the kind of planning we need to think about," Comeau said.

She stressed thatthe role climate change plays in these weather events, and the human impact on climate change, cannot be understated.

While it is impossible to forecast the next big storm, Comeausaid, she is 100 per cent certain it will happen.

"We can be sure that we will see more extreme events and that we need to prepare for them," she said.