Thousands to be affected by planned power outage this weekend

Over 17,000 residents in Durham will be without power for an extended overnight period this weekend as Hydro One conducts a planned outage.

Hydro One announced Tuesday it would be working at its Wilson Transmission Station to replace dated equipment to allow for an alternative backup power supply to Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.

A spokesperson said the power outage is required so crews can safely complete the work.

The outage will start overnight on Saturday from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday. It will impact 13,500 Hydro One customers in Durham and the surrounding area and 3,600 Elexicon customers.

Residents that will be affected this weekend have been contacted.

How to best prepare for the weekend overnight power outage

Hydro One said it scheduled the lengthy power outage when customers use the least amount of power.

“Hydro One is investing in our electricity infrastructure to ensure the region has clean and reliable energy for years to come,” said Teri French, Executive Vice President, Operations and Customer Experience at Hydro One.

“We understand how difficult it is to be without power and thank our customers for their patience as we complete this critical work.”

Additional area investments to improve reliability will be completed during the weekend outage to eliminate the need for future ones.

The company shared tips on how to best prepare for the overnight outage. Ensure appliances, such as the stove, are in the off position.

Hydro One reminded residents to have their cellphones and devices fully charged. It also suggested using a battery-powered alarm clock or cell phone to ensure Sunday morning alarms aren’t missed and keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed while using a cooler with ice for items.

Hydro One is Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution provider, with approximately 1.5 million customers.