Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Written Question 7-17(5), asked by Mr. Dolynny on February 7, 2014, regarding the December 2013 North Slave power outage.
An H-frame power pole on the Snare system structurally failed, causing the loss of the Snare Rapids hydro plant by an automatic action to protect customers from a voltage spike, resulting in a system-wide outage in Yellowknife, Behchoko and Detah on December 29, 2013, at 1543 hours.
At 1600 hours initial attempts to restore power to the first town feeder, with three hydro plants and one diesel unit, failed because of larger than expected power loads (6MB) on this feeder, causing another trip of all generators. This feeder later had to be split up by Northland Utilities Limited (NUL) to allow restoration.
The second system recovery effort resulted in the 125 VDC backup control power battery system failing, preventing the remote start-up of the Jackfish diesel plant.
Jackfish crews were called out to manually start Jackfish.
Generation was restored, with three hydro plants and four diesels, at 1709 hours. A process to energize the Yellowknife feeders one by one was started at this time.
Behchoko was energized at 1728 hours and Detah was energized at 1751 hours.
Customer energization in Yellowknife was completed at 1757 hours to all but the largest feeder with all of Jackfish on-line.
NUL split the last feeder of about 2,000 Yellowknife customers and Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) energized one at a time and completed final energization at 1824 hours.
Two NUL employees were on site at the NTPC control centre shortly after 1600 hours for that duration of outage to communicate with NUL customers.
Media – CBC – was contacted at 1720 hours by the president and provided an estimated time of full restoration of 1830 hours.
Over 300 phone calls were answered at NTPC,
Communications were established with Behchoko via the plant superintendent.
NTPC is reviewing its outage communication protocol to improve internal and external communication with stakeholders – customers, board, shareholder, local governments and media – and exchanging emergency response plans to facilitate coordination with local and territorial authorities.
Meetings have occurred between NTPC, the City of Yellowknife and NUL to discuss communications and system coordination during an outage and reduction of large loads on single feeders.
A new communications manager began at NTPC on February 6, 2014.
To ensure similar outages do not reoccur, the corporation has instituted the following changes:
The initial line with the failure has been isolated.
DC battery banks were replaced.
Upgrades are planned to reduce the black start time of the three diesel plants at Jackfish
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
