NL power upgrades Grand Bay substation

PORT AUX BASQUES – Town Manager Leon MacIsaac has been in contact with Newfoundland Power about their work along the highway just before Edna’s Road to figure out just what they’re doing. At the Sept. 8 meeting of council, MacIsaac read aloud a letter he received from the company’s General Manager of Operations Jim Gilmour.

Newfoundland Power crews and subcontractors are busy refurbishing the Grand Bay substation near Edna’s Road. – © J. René Roy

“Our commitment to mobile generation at the Grand Bay substation has not changed,” wrote Gilmour.

As part of the refurbishment, the corporation is putting down concrete pads for the mobile generator units, as well as installing new fuel tank lines, control lines and various associated systems. The units may be required elsewhere across the province, but will be scheduled to be returned to the Grand Bay substation.

Gilmour’s letter also reaffirmed the commitment to ensure the Dr. Charles L. LeGrow Health Centre retains power in the event of an outage, though that work has yet to be started. Meanwhile Mobile Generator 3, which is currently in use in the Twilingate area, should return to the Grand Bay substation towards the end of October.

Under questioning by Mayor John Spencer, MacIsaac stated that the cost of all this work was around 1.3 million dollars.

“The public utilities board has said that one of those generators has to stay here at all times. It’s a smaller one, but we’ve been fighting to keep the two here,” said Spencer. “One in Grand Bay, plus Rose Blanche, to look after our needs,” said Spencer.

Town Clerk Julia Ingram told Council that she has also received an assurance about the work on the Lions Club, which serves as a warming station in the event of a prolonged outage.

“It will definitely be in place before the winter season,” said Ingram.

#Local #PortAuxBasques #Weekly