Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher expresses frustration over Maritime Electric's power allocation decisions during ongoing outages affecting Prince Edward Island. He criticizes the utility for prioritizing Cavendish Farms over city residents left without power.
Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher expressed his frustration over Maritime Electric's monopoly on power transmission in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). Though a plan to implement two-hour rolling blackouts on Tuesday night was subsequently canceled, Kutcher criticized the way his city of 17,000 residents has been treated by Maritime Electric this week. He revealed that the utility, which serves most of P.E.I.
except for Summerside, which has a municipally owned power company, informed city officials of a drastic reduction in the amount of power allocated to Summerside on Tuesday night. Kutcher stated that the redirected power was intended for Cavendish Farms, a major frozen foods processor based in New Annan, amounting to 14 megawatts. He highlighted the discrepancy between prioritizing a large corporation while hundreds of Summerside residents faced power outages, enduring cold homes and anxieties during the -10 C temperatures, with wind chill making it feel like -17 C. He emphasized the hardship faced by Summerside residents, who were left in darkness while their city's power supply was seemingly redirected to a prominent corporation. Earlier on Tuesday, the City of Summerside announced the possibility of rolling blackouts due to an outage across western P.E.I. that began on Monday. This outage affected nearly 19,000 customers, including all of Summerside, causing disruptions to schools, healthcare appointments, and raising concerns among residents and businesses. Power was restored by midday Monday, but the city warned that rotating blackouts might be necessary that evening. However, this initial warning was retracted Tuesday morning. Just hours later, a media update revealed that due to ongoing damage at the Maritime Electric Sherbrooke Substation, the city would implement rotational blackouts from 5 to 10 p.m., with individual customers experiencing two-hour power outages before restoration. Maritime Electric continued to urge Islanders outside Summerside to conserve energy to alleviate strain on the provincial electrical system. Summerside generates a significant portion of its electricity but relies on New Brunswick Power's supply, transmitted to P.E.I. via an underwater cable system. Maritime Electric's infrastructure is essential for moving this purchased electricity to Summerside's grid. Jason Roberts, Maritime Electric's President and CEO, explained that Summerside becomes an 'interruptible customer' during system constraints, highlighting their reliance on the transmission system. He declined to comment on the specific allocation of power to Cavendish Farms due to privacy concerns but assured the public of their commitment to serving all customers effectively. Roberts expressed confidence that there wouldn't be any further outages on Tuesday night but acknowledged concerns for Wednesday and Thursday
POWER OUTAGES PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND MARITIME ELECTRIC SUMMER SIDE CAVENDISH FARMS ENERGY CONSERVATION TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oak Bay Mayor Criticizes Special Advisor Housing PlanThe mayor of Oak Bay, B.C., is challenging the provincial government's plan to appoint a special advisor to help the district meet its housing targets. Mayor Kevin Murdoch argues that other resources, such as funding for staff or development planning assistance, would be more effective.
Read more »
Wall Of Ice The Size Of Rhode Island Heading Toward Penguin-Packed IslandThe world’s biggest iceberg is lumbering toward a remote island off Antarctica that’s home to millions of penguins and seals.
Read more »
United States edges Canada 2-1 in a shootout to even women’s hockey Rivalry SeriesRivalry Series, tied 2-2, will be decided Saturday in Summerside, P.E.I.
Read more »
U.S., Russian figure skaters among dead after plane and army helicopter crash near Washington airportPresident Trump on social media criticizes aiport control tower, Pentagon and Transportation Safety Board launch investigations
Read more »
HuffPost Criticizes Trump's Tariff Pause as 'No Genius Power Play'HuffPost published an article criticizing President Trump's decision to pause tariffs on Mexico and Canada, arguing that the agreement was not a strategic victory and that Trump supporters were celebrating a minor concession. The article also highlighted the financial newspaper's recent editorial criticizing Trump's justification for the tariffs.
Read more »
Prosecutor Defends Hunter Biden Probe, Criticizes Biden PardonThe special counsel who led investigations into Hunter Biden defended his work, stating the charges were impartial and not politically motivated. The report criticized President Biden for pardoning his son and questioning the justice system's integrity.
Read more »