Merci, Madam la Presidente. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, and I'm not above giving compliments. So my statement detailed the September 11th experience of Yellowknifers beset with a daylong series of six electrical outages. So can the Minister say whether a detailed investigation can underway into this major collapse of electrical supply in our largest community? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I could just say "yes" and sit down, but I want to take this opportunity to apologize to those impacted by the outages that occurred. And I want to also take this time, Madam Speaker, to go over a brief summary of the investigation of the power outages that happened here in Yellowknife in September.
So the first full system outage occurred at about 5:30 on Saturday, September 10th. This was caused to be high winds in the area that brought a tree in contact with the transmission line. The second outage occurred Sunday, September the 11th at 11:30, and with the system restoration began with a full diesel backup. So high winds caused a tree to contact with the transmission line. The third full outage system occurred at 4:28. So the electrical stability issues again made it difficult to restore the power using diesel. Workers identified a transformer at the Jackfish generating station was responsible for the stability issues. And if was taken off line. Madam Speaker, I think everyone realizes the high winds that weekend were unprecedented.
I would like to thank the Northwest Territories Power Corporation personnel that responded to removing the trees on the power line and finding the fault at the Jack Fish. I have more detailed information on the investigation. I am not going to go through it in full; I'm sure people are pointing at the clock right now. But thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for her Minister's statement. And, of course, she's free to table more information about those outages if she wants. But winter's coming on, and electrical outages can become a threat to public safety and property. So can the Minister tell us what steps have been put in place to make sure that the events of September 11th are not going to be repeated where both the hydro grid and backup systems failed at the same time? Merci, Madam la Presidente.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can advise that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation conducts testing and continually completes preventative maintenance to ensure equipment is ready for the cold winters that we experience every year. Supplying electricity is complex, and it's becoming more and more challenging with the climate change. Like the high winds experienced that weekend, Northwest Territories Power Corporation is adapting to this new environment. Changes have been made to ensure backup diesel generation is available if there is a disruption from hydro generation. The Power Corporation also has a vegetation management plan to be able to remove any dangerous trees and complete some brushing on the transmission and distribution lines. Planned brushing on the snare transmission line is currently being completed. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for that. For some years now, we've been in this interesting situation where the board of directors of the NWT Power Corp are made up of deputy ministers from our government. So can the Minister tell us whether there are any plans to return the utility to a publiclyrun entity, maybe before the end of this century. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Having deputy ministers serve as members of the board has helped to ensure alignments with the NTPC's work and planning as the utility with broader energy priorities for the Northwest Territories. While some cost savings to repairs may be achieved by having this board of volunteers, there is a cost in terms of deputy ministers' time and focus. And there are also other options that might be preferred to keep work aligned where it makes sense to be. Northwest Territories Power Corporation, for example, should continue to work with the GNWT on maximizing opportunities for investment in capital, particularly where this can help avoid costs passed on to the ratepayers, Madam Speaker. While I'm not going to commit to the outcome of the questions, I have committed to engaging with Regular MLAs and having questions around the board of directors answered by the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for that. There was a lot to unpack. I'm not going to take her on with much about what she said there but I know I can't really talk about the Public Utilities Board here with regard to the outages, but can the Minister tell us whether the NWT Power Corporation is required to provide any information on outages, their causes, and actions to prevent further outages to the Public Utilities Board, and how can that information be compiled and communicated better to the public as well? Merci, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, utilities are required to report on reliability and quality of service to the Public Utilities Board through the general rate application process. So this information is readily available on the Public Utility Board website on the Public Utility Board's website. While the information required by the Public Utility Board categorizes outages caused by location, duration, frequency, through the open and transparent GRA process, customers, along with the Public Utility Board ask questions on historical outages and what actions are being done to be able to reduce the duration and frequency of future power outages. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation informs customers and the general public of any planned outages, also does the same for any unplanned outages through our social media platforms, also through news releases, media interviews. So we do respond back. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
