As of 7:30am on Tuesday, January 27, power was restored to all Hydro-Québec clients in Côte Saint-Luc, although some outages have re-occurred due to failures in the distribution transformers located throughout the city.
Also on Tuesday morning, the President of Hydro-Québec, Claudine Bouchard, met with Mayor David Tordjman at City Hall for a frank discussion about the recent power outage and its ongoing impacts.
Mayor Tordjman conveyed the concerns and frustrations expressed by many residents, particularly regarding the repeated changes to the anticipated power-restoration times. This uncertainty caused residents to lose confidence in the estimates provided. Many residents indicated that had they known the true gravity and duration of the outage, they would have made alternate arrangements rather than remaining in their homes under difficult conditions.
Below is what we learned about the situation and the days ahead:
1. Potential Power Interruptions
Hydro-Québec advised that there may be additional power outages over the next few days as they work to stabilize and solidify the system. As a result, Hydro-Québec continues to request that all residents who currently have power reduce their electricity consumption as much as possible.
2. Generators Supporting the System
There are currently 11 generators, including mobile generators, supplementing the power supply at the Hampstead substation. Hydro-Québec confirmed that additional generators are being brought in to increase capacity.
3. Cause of the Outage
The Hampstead substation contains four transformers. One transformer malfunctioned on Saturday, January 24, and spewed petroleum product on the other three transformers, which then had to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure they would not also fail. This cleaning process was one of the first critical steps Hydro-Québec had to take once the outage occurred. Hydro-Québec also explained that all four transformers were already operating at full capacity, meaning there was no reserve capacity available to handle higher-than-normal demand.
4. Blown Distribution Transformers Across the City
Since the outage began early Saturday morning, 19 distribution transformers located throughout the city, which often mounted on wooden hydro poles, have failed and required replacement. Hydro-Québec advised that repairing or replacing a single distribution transformer takes approximately seven hours. As each distribution transformer is replaced, power is restored to the surrounding area. Additional failures have continued to be reported, including on Tuesday morning.
5. Telephone Alerts and Updating Contact Information
Hydro-Québec has issued telephone alerts to residents; however, some residents did not receive them. In many cases, this occurred because the phone number on file was a home number that was not in service or not accessible at the time.
Hydro-Québec is asking residents to update the telephone number associated with their Hydro-Québec account, ideally to a mobile number that can be accessed at all times.
This can be done by signing into your Hydro-Québec online account (then click Profile to view or modify the telephone number listed) or by calling Hydro-Québec customer service (514 385-7252) and asking an agent to update your contact information.
6. Long-Term and Medium-Term Solutions
Hydro-Québec confirmed that an upgrade to the electrical system for our area has already been planned as part of the Aqueduc–Saraguay project. This project involves the construction of a new substation with modern equipment and a significant increase in electrical capacity to meet the needs of the 21st century.
A long-term solution is therefore already in place. The City will also ensure that Hydro-Québec shares more information in the coming days about a medium-term solution that would greatly reduce the likelihood of a similar situation occurring again.
Next Steps
While today’s meeting between the Mayor and the President of Hydro-Québec was important, the City of Côte Saint-Luc will be requesting a full post-mortem meeting with the utility once the crisis is fully resolved, in order to review all issues in greater detail.
We recognize that this has been a very difficult period for residents. While power has largely been restored as of Tuesday morning, we are not fully out of the woods. As residents return to their homes, new challenges are emerging, including water damage, broken pipes, and heating issues in buildings that rely on circulating water to distribute heat.
We also know residents have questions regarding insurance claims and next steps. Please continue to monitor the City’s website for updates in the days and weeks ahead.
Warming Stations
Given that some apartment buildings are having difficulties with the heating systems, the City will maintain the warming stations at the Aquatic and Community Centre and Public Library.