Residents of Hay River, K'atl'odeeche First Nation and Enterprise are being asked to unplug appliances as Northwest Territories Power Corporation is struggling to restore power after issues with one of the diesel generators meant to take over for the Taltson Hydroelectric Dam.
A total power outage during a heat wave has impacted all three communities throughout the July 30 afternoon. Environment Canada issued a heat warning for the region on July 30, warning temperatures could get as high as 30 C.
NTPC communications manager Doug Prendergast referred NNSL to posts published on the power corporation's social media feed, which began detailing the issue at 12:28 p.m. It was noted that there was an issue with a diesel engine and workers were on site. At 1:09 p.m. the utility reported the crew had determined the problem, though no details were immediately released.
Even though workers had identified the problem, ongoing mechanical issues continued to hamper repairs, with power only partially restored at 4:06 p.m.
"We would like to request that customers unplug appliances and other items so that when power begins to be restored, electricity demand is kept as low as possible, which will support further restoration as additional generation is brought back into service," wrote the utility at 3:26 p.m. "Thank you for your cooperation."
On July 29, NTPC conducted its annual Taltson summer shutdown for maintenance. The plan was to switch the region, which includes Hay River, KFN and Enterprise, Fort Smith and Fort Resolution. The hydro plant had only been online since March, after being deactivated for the previous two years to overhaul the hydro unit. That overhaul is intended to be completed over the three-week shut down.
As part of the July 29 notification of the shutdown, NTPC stated, "An additional rental diesel generator has been installed to back up the existing generator and to ensure reliable service in the community during the Taltson shutdown."
