NB Power storm cleanup financial challenges

NB Power CEO Lori Clark says huge weather events can wipe out profits. A recent windstorm knocked out power to 129,000 customers.

Lori Clark, the CEO of NB Power, expressed concerns about the impact of massive weather events such as hurricanes on the company's profits at a press conference in Fredericton on December 15. However, just three days later, a powerful windstorm hit central and southwestern New Brunswick, leaving 129,000 homes and businesses without power, affecting more than a quarter of NB Power's customers.

Despite the company's preparedness for the storm, it took eight days to restore power to all affected areas, with the last homes and businesses coming back online on Boxing Day. The total cost of the restoration effort is still unknown, but it is expected to be in the multi-millions.

NB Power spokesperson Dominique Couture described the storm as one of the most intense wind events the province has experienced, resulting in significant damage to infrastructure, including broken poles, downed lines, and vegetation impacts. While the company is unable to provide a specific cost estimate at this time, the restoration effort is one of the largest in NB Power's history.

The December storm is the fifth significant weather event in the last decade to cause widespread power outages in New Brunswick. Previous events include a 2013 ice storm that took 11 days to restore power, post-tropical storm Arthur in 2014, which left some customers without electricity for two weeks, a 2017 ice storm that caused blackouts for up to 12 days and resulted in two fatalities, and a windstorm in 2018 that took six days to fully restore power to all customers.

The frequency and impact of these weather events raise concerns about the resilience of NB Power's infrastructure and its ability to respond effectively to future storms. While the company has demonstrated its commitment to restoration efforts, the repeated occurrence of prolonged outages highlights the need for continued investment and improvement in the company's infrastructure and emergency response capabilities.