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Hydro-Québec will be carrying out what it described as “major work” on the Des Sources substation located in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, in Montreal’s West Island.
In a news release, Hydro-Québec said the work will require cutting the power to around 64,000 clients in the municipalities of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Dorval, L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, Kirkland, Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Pointe-Claire and Saint-Laurent.
The outage is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday night and end at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
The utility provider said the work has to be done before winter “to ensure the reliability of the power service and to eliminate the risk of failure on an electrical component at the substation.”
The work will also help reduce the possibility of longer power outages affecting a large number of clients during the winter season.
Hydro-Québec apologized to its clients for any inconvenience and said it had chosen to do the work overnight and on the weekend in a bid to reduce the impact on customers.
“We regret any inconvenience this work may cause and recognize that there is never a good time to interrupt power,” the news release reads.
Affected clients should have received an automated phone call warning them of the planned service interruption. Hydro-Québec says clients can stay up to date by consulting its outage info site.
Be prepared
According to Environment Canada’s hourly weather forecast, temperatures could dip below zero Saturday morning.
Hydro-Québec spokesperson Cendrix Bouchard said while it will be chilly, it won’t be very cold, so if your home is at 20 C at the beginning of the planned outage then it shouldn’t drop below 15 or 16 C by morning.
Bouchard said, however, that preheating your home by a few degrees in the hours prior to the outage could help keep your space more comfortable.
“If you are using secondary heating devices that need to be used outside, then use them outside,” he warned. “Safety first of course.”
Bouchard also recommended keeping electronic devices charged and having an emergency kit handy.
WATCH | Hydro-Québec spokesperson explains why there will be a power outage:
Why some of Montreal’s West Island won’t have power for part of this weekend
More than 60,000 clients will be without power from 9 p.m. Nov. 21 to 6 a.m. Nov. 22 in several West Island neighbourhoods. Hydro-Québec is carrying out maintenance work on its Des Sources substation.
