Winnipeg - Manitoba Hydro is asking customers in Winnipeg’s Westwood neighbourhood to reduce their electrical usage during peak times over the weekend and early next week as the utility makes important capacity and reliability upgrades at the Cavalier substation serving the area.
This area includes approximately 1,400 customers between Westwood Drive and Bedson Street, from Portage Avenue south to the Assiniboine River.
The utility is asking customers in this area to delay using appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers and electric vehicle chargers until after 10 p.m. each day. Customers should also set their air conditioners to run at a slightly higher temperature than usual, to reduce consumption while still keeping homes cool relative to the outside temperature.
Manitoba Hydro is recommending a thermostat setting of 24 degrees Celsius.
“We know this is an unseasonably hot weekend and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers in the Westwood area of Winnipeg,” said Scott Powell, Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing for Manitoba Hydro.
“This is a temporary measure as we complete our upgrade work at the substation, which began in the fall and will result in enhanced reliability and better service going forward,” said Powell.
“Unfortunately, the nature of the work we are doing means we cannot reroute as much electricity from other local substations into the Westwood area at this time. That — combined with higher demand during this heatwave — means if we don’t proactively reduce electrical load, we could see an sudden outage that could be lengthy and hard to restore.
“We appreciate our Westwood customers’ help in getting through this period until we complete our work,” Powell said, while reminding customers that this is a very localized issue and does not affect customers outside of the noted area.
Customers in Westwood should reduce their electrical usage between May 29 and June 2.
For more information, please contact:
Scott Powell, Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing
204-299-8849
spowel@hydro.mb.ca
Affected area
Enlarge image: Map of Winnipeg's Westood area affected by reliability upgrades.
