In search of local contractors for cleaning vegetation around hydro lines

In search of local contractors for cleaning vegetation around hydro lines

Hydro Quebec met with the Mayors of the MRC Pontiac, Wednesday, to present the lasted details acquired during a study conducted in the region on the hydro infrastructure and quality of services offered in the MRC.

During the meeting, the Advisor – Community Relations representing Hydro Québec in the Pontiac, Alain Paquette, talked about the accumulation of vegetation around the hydro lines, which, according to Hydro Quebec’s statistics, accounts for 64% of outages across the region.

This vulnerability stems from the length of the lines, which are greatly affected during times of freezing rain (April 8th), storms (July 11th), strong winds (November 1st) and snow accumulation (December 14th – 15th), having an impact on the eleven line spanning over 1, 553km of proximity forests covered the lines (19% of the Outaouais’ Power Network) across the region.

However, the larger issue facing the power lines, according to Paquette, is the lack of contractors to be able to clean the surrounding vegetation on a consistent basis.

These local contractors would be hired by Hydro Quebec to cut down dangerous trees and cut branches located near the power lines, which would contribute to reducing the risk of interruptions over the next year.

Paquette added that Hydro Québec is ready to invest in the management of hydro line vegetation, and will be working with the MRC Pontiac moving forward in order to recruit local entrepreneurs.

More details can be found in the full interview with Alain Paquette in both French and in English.