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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia's electric utilities came under attack Thursday as widespread power outages pushed opposition leaders and online critics to demand that the government demand accountability from the government. private enterprise.
The entire Atlantic region was swept by blackouts after a storm caused strong winds and heavy, wet snow that damaged power lines, disrupted commuting and resulted in the closure of aircraft. 39; schools.
But Nova Scotia has been particularly affected by the blackouts, with nearly 250,000 homes and businesses – half of Nova Scotia Power customers – without electricity at any time before noon.
The electricity company, owned by Halifax-based Emera Inc., said the wind and snow had ripped off one of four high-voltage transmission lines that carry electricity from power stations. power plants from Cape Breton to mainland Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia Power CEO Karen Hutt said the remaining three lines could have supported the load, but the collapsed cables became disconnected when they started to touch each other.
The problem worsened shortly thereafter when NB Power was hit by a blackout in Memramcook, NB, where a transmission line connects New Brunswick to Nova Scotia.
"This system did exactly the same thing that our system was stopped to protect itself," Hutt said in an interview.
The second outage doubled the number of Nova Scotia Power customers without electricity, for a total of more than 200,000.
This is the worst power outage the province has experienced since Hurricane Juan pbaded through in September 2003, killing eight people and claiming $ 100 million worth of damage.
Nova Scotian NDP leader Gary Burrill said the Thursday's "pretty mundane" storm – for example, had virtually no snow – should not have caused such breakdowns. generalized electricity.
However, Hutt insisted that failures in the Halifax area, which were hotly criticized online, resulted from particularly bad weather conditions in northeastern Nova Scotia, followed by the blackout in New Brunswick. .
"You can not conclude that, because you are in Halifax, you should be protected from everything that happens in other parts of the province," she said. "It's not how the electrical system works in Nova Scotia or anywhere else."
Nevertheless, Burrill called on the government to hold the public service to account.
"That says something quite serious about the maintenance of the network as a whole," Burrill said. "When we have this level of failure of the infrastructure network … why would no normal person think," God, something is wrong here. "
Progressive Conservative Party leader Tim Houston was more direct: "We are paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country, we expect that power. off, he must come back. "
Much of the online conversation has raised questions about the severity of the storm in Halifax.
"I'm surprised that today's weather is considered a storm," said a social media officer. "Is there another province in this country that is facing power outages as often as N.S.? I sincerely ask because it's absurd."
When Prime Minister Stephen McNeil was asked how the Liberal government was going to respond to the breakdowns, he immediately referred the matter back to the Public Utilities and Review Board, which regulates the utilities. .
"We have reliability standards in place," he said after a cabinet meeting in Halifax. "At the same time, the regulator will take care of reliability."
Elsewhere, Thursday, NB Power reported that 44,000 customers were in the darkness of neighboring New Brunswick. According to Maritime Electric, 45,000 customers did not have access to electricity, and Newfoundland Power also reported multiple outages.
The low pressure weather system prompted Environment Canada to issue weather warnings for the entire Atlantic region.
Gusts of 110 km / h were expected in Newfoundland, where snowfall would be 25 centimeters in the center of the province.
It is expected that parts of northern Nova Scotia will receive more than 20 cm of snow, with winds reaching gusts of up to 80 km / h.
The agency said the north coast of PEI could see waves and waves surging that could cause flooding, while eastern New Brunswick could see up to 15 cm of snow and strong winds blowing up. at 80 km / h.
The schools were closed and the ferry service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia was canceled and the Confederation Bridge between PEI and restricted movements in Nova Scotia.
The flights were canceled or delayed in Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John's, N.L.
Michael MacDonald, Canadian Press
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