May 21 storms cost $70 million in repairs for Hydro-Quebec

The violent storms that swept through Quebec on May 21 will cost Hydro-Québec at least $70 million. The Crown corporation published a report Tuesday on the major outages and the work that resulted from them.

The storm front that mainly affected the Outaouais, Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie and Capitale-Nationale regions, as well as Ontario, with gusts of wind exceeding 150 km/h, caused thousands of outages. In Quebec, more than 550,000 customers lost power at the height of the storm.

A total of 11,254 outages were recorded by Hydro-Québec. 

Some 90 per cent of the outages were caused by vegetation, including fallen trees. In the end, 1,125 poles and 400 transformers were replaced. In addition, 40 kilometres of electrical wire was installed.

More than 2,000 employees were on the job for 11 days, corresponding with 160,000 hours worked by the line operators.

"As is always the case during major weather-related events, our employees responded. From our linemen who do the field work, to our contractor partners, to our staff who coordinate everything and make sure everyone has a place to sleep between 16-hour shifts. I thank them all and salute their dedication," said Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec.

While it took some time for power to return, approximately 85 per cent of customers had access to it after 72 hours. Less than six days after the storms, 95 per cent of homes affected by the outages were connected.

Nevertheless, this major mobilization has resulted in the postponement of work, 'which will have an impact on some interventions as well as on the connection times of new installations in the coming weeks,' Hydro-Quebec said in a release.

The May 21 storm caused the death of at least 11 people in Ontario and Quebec.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 14, 2022