Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Ministry of Energy
Statement on Hurricane Sandy from Ontario Minister of Energy
This morning Chris Bentley, Minister of Energy, issued the following statement:
"We are receiving regular updates from Hydro One and local distribution companies across Ontario. As of 6:30 this morning there are an estimated 800 storm related outages across the province affecting approximately 150, 000 customers. Early reports suggest that approximately 6.5 million customers are without power in the northeast U.S.
Southern Ontario experienced the most damage, with winds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour causing downed trees and power lines.
Hardest hit Ontario communities include:
- Toronto
- Waterloo
- Peterborough
- Owen Sound
- Sarnia
Trained crews of professionals are onsite across Ontario and working to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We will provide updates on power restoration as soon as they become available.
Local power companies are the best source for up-to-date, local information for their customers. Customers may call the phone number located on their utility bill or check their local utility's website.
Hydro One's Grid Control Centre is monitoring the storm as it progresses. Hydro One is the direct power provider in many communities in Ontario and is well prepared to assist their own customers during storm events. Crews from areas of the province with no damage will travel to the hardest hit areas to support the effort to return electricity as quickly as possible to Hydro One customers. If assistance is required by local distribution companies, Hydro One will direct resources, on a priority basis.
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is closely monitoring the situation and is taking steps to increase Ontario's ability to respond to changing circumstances, including keeping additional generation at the ready should it be required.
All of Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) generating facilities are robust and designed to withstand severe weather. The company reports no impacts from the storm at this time."
Media Contacts:
For media inquiries only call:
Jennifer Kett, Minister’s Office
416-327-6747
jennifer.kett@ontario.ca
For media inquiries only call:
Kirby Dier, Communications Branch
416-326-4542
kirby.dier@ontario.ca
For public inquiries call:
1-888-668-4636
TTY: 1-800-239-4224
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