January ice storm in New Brunswick most costly restoration in utility’s history

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s power utility says this January’s ice storm was the largest, most expensive restoration effort in the utility’s history.

The Crown-owned NB Power says in a release that costs for the ice storm are estimated at $30 million for the storm that occurred from Jan. 24 to 26.

That includes labour for 380 repair crews and support staff, fuel for trucks, replacement poles, transformers and other equipment, lodging and meals.

The repairs included replacing nearly 600 broken hydro poles and 150 transformers in the Acadian Peninsula, and installing 51 kilometres of new lines.

At the peak of the storm, 133,000 customers were without power and it required 12 days to reconnect their electricity.

The outages hit the Acadian Peninsula hardest, but the Miramichi area and Kent County were also affected.

NB Power is conducting an internal review of the storm response and working with the province on a broader review that includes public feedback at meetings this week.