Utility offers reward for substation theft info

Maritime Electric is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone with information on the theft of 20-25 metres of copper wire from an electrical substation.

The copper was stolen from the Rattenbury Road substation which serves the central area of the province sometime in the last few weeks, said utility spokeswoman Kim Griffin.

The wire was part of the safety equipment providing protection during lightning strikes and its theft was not discovered until crews arrived at the substation on Sunday during a lightning storm.

Griffin said someone could have been killed and the utility wants to catch those responsible.

"We think the magnitude of the Rattenbury substation break-in and the fact that they tried to steal the copper and put our employees at such significant risk, we felt it was important to try and get as much information that would lead to a conviction as possible," she told CBC News.

"As a result, we're offering a $5,000 reward."

The theft slowed down repairs at the substation, whichlost power during the lightning storm. An inspection had to be done to make sure it was safe before going ahead with repairs.

While the copper ground wire was only worth a few hundred dollars, the company said the damage to the substation could be between $40,000 and $200,000. The full extent of the damage won't be known until later this week.

Maritime Electric will be checking substations across P.E.I. to ensure there haven't been other copper thefts that could cause a safety risk for workers.