Bangor Hydro Collaborates with Local Agencies to Speed Resoration Efforts
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
BANGOR, Maine – When a wind storm blew through Maine last week causing more than 22,000 Bangor
Hydro Electric Company customers to lose power, one of the many areas affected was Lincoln. A major transmission line known as Line 85 crosses the Penobscot River near Chester and is supported by poles on nearby islands.
Branches falling onto the lines were the cause of the interruption of power to Lincoln customers and accessing the lines was difficult; ice prevented crews from using a boat, and warmer-than-normal temperatures made crossing the ice on sleds or foot very dangerous. But thanks to the collaborative efforts of several Bangor Hydro employees and members of the Penobscot Nation Warden Service, with support from the Maine Warden Service, line crews were able to get to the island in a safe manner and repair the damage.
“We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the Penobscot Nation Warden Service for transporting our crews across the ice in their custom airboat. Without their assistance, restoration efforts would have been much more difficult if not impossible,” said Kim Wadleigh, VP for Transmission and Distribution for Bangor Hydro.
The company also appreciates the presence the Maine Warden Service during the event. The Maine Warden Service was on standby to offer their services should a rescue scenario present itself. “The only way we were going to attempt this was if our employees were completely safe and out of harms’ way the entire time,” said John Greaves, Bangor Hydro’s Safety Superintendent. “The safety of our employees is paramount, and we are thankful for the collaborative efforts of the agencies which assisted us.”
“Downed lines in remote locations such as this can hamper restoration efforts,” added Wadleigh. Thankfully, in this case, the Penobscot Nation Warden Service went above and beyond to help us get our customers back on line quickly.”
Bangor Hydro Electric Company and Maine Public Service are regulated electricity
transmission and distribution utilities wholly-owned by Emera Inc. Halifax,
NS (EMA-TSX. Bangor Hydro serves 117,000 customers in an area encompassing 5,275
square miles in eastern and east coastal Maine, and is a member of the New England
Power Pool and is interconnected with other New England utilities to the south and
with the New Brunswick Power Corp. to the north. Maine Public Service serves
approximately 36,000 electricity customer accounts in Northern Maine.
To learn more visit our websites at www.bangorhydro.com
and www.mainepublicservice.com.
Emera Inc. is an energy and services company with $7.4 billion in assets and 2011
revenues of $2.1 billion. The company invests in electricity generation, transmission
and distribution, as well as gas transmission and utility energy services.
Emera's strategy is focused on the transformation of the electricity industry to
cleaner generation and the delivery of that clean energy to market. Emera has
interests throughout northeastern North America, in three Caribbean countries.
More than 80% of the company's earnings come from regulated investments.
Emera common and preferred shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and
trade respectively under the symbol EMA, EMA.PR.A, and EMA.PR.C. Additional
information can be accessed at www.emera.com,
www.sedar.com,
or on www.sec.gov.
