Don’t be alarmed if the power goes out in parts of St. Albert this week – these outages are planned.
Power was shut off Monday for 25 customers in Deer Ridge from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and then again from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for line maintenance repairs, according to Fortis Alberta.
Work will continue from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday, affecting 14 customers.
Then on Wednesday, power will be shut off for a few hours in the day.
Fifty customers will be affected from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Grandin area. Seventeen residents in the Sturgeon neighbourhood will have their power shut off from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In a neighbouring area in Forest Lawn, power will be shut off later in the day for 14 customers from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Outages are planned to perform routine repairs and upgrades, according to Tanya Croft, marketing advisor with Fortis Alberta.
This week, crews will be changing old transformers to meet new standard requirements, Croft said.
"Then what we're doing is taking advantage of being up there on the line and changing out some old switches that have given us some trouble in the past, and upgrading those so they're as good as they can be," she said.
Instead of being done all at once, this work is being spread out over the course of a few days this week. All affected customers should have gotten a call beforehand.
"Especially with more people working from home, they try to do it as quickly as they can. Sometimes with these line maintenances, with how much of a stretch they have to do, it could take a little bit," another spokesperson said.
Some tips to help prepare for a power outage include:
- Unplugging or turning off all appliances to protect them in the event of a surge
- Keep doors and blinds closed to keep heat in
- Keep flashlights, batteries, candles and matches on hand
- Gather extra blankets and warm clothes just in case
- Make sure you know how to manually operate your garage door
- Keep the fridge and freezer door closed
- Keep a supply of water and non-perishable food
For all planned and current outages, check out FortisAlberta's Outage Map online.
