BC Hydro has released a plan to address persistent power outages in Elkford, and Mayor Steve Fairbairn said he is pleased work is beginning immediately.
“It could have been a very dismissive report and it’s not,” he said.
“I asked directly for a list of action items and timelines for those to take place and they’ve delivered on that.”
BC Hydro has transported a temporary mobile transformer to the Elkford substation.
Officials said these transformers are used to support communities where need is the greatest and the unit will help provide a more reliable supply of power for the town.
Fairbairn believes the existing transformer is the cause of a lot of the power issues and the new one will be installed soon.
“I’m happy with the report. The temporary substation has already arrived in town and they have a planned power outage,” he added.
“They are acting on their plan already and they are doing it before it gets cold.”
The outage is scheduled to begin Dec. 17 from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. It is weather-dependent and will be postponed if temperatures are too low.
BC Hydro will also be initiating inspections of the underground electrical system to identify potential defects.
“I hope inspecting means they are actually going to repair and not just look, but I think there has been a recognition that some of their infrastructure is hitting end of life,” said Fairbairn.
Dead trees are also being removed along a five kilometre stretch in Elk Lakes Provincial Park to ensure they do not fall onto the transmission line this winter.
BC Hydro said that work has been planned for a number of month and they just received the necessary permits.
In the Summer of 2026, BC Hydro will replace disconnect switches in the Elkford substation and will replace an underground switchgear by the winter of 2026.
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