Montreal's power grid is deteriorating, raising new concerns about reliability
Montreal residents are once again concerned about the reliability of the city's power grid after new revelations on its deteriorating infrastructure.
A report by Radio-Canada has revealed details from a Hydro-Quebec internal document from last year, indicating that much of Montreal's electrical infrastructure is outdated and struggling to cope with increasing demands.
There was a surge in power outages across Quebec in 2023, with Montreal bearing a significant brunt of the disruptions, affecting tens of thousands of residents.
The Hydro-Quebec document describes the infrastructure on the island as "outdated" and mentions it is "increasingly difficult to work on an overloaded network," citing a high risk of fire, explosion, or further outages.
Francois Bouffard, an associate professor of electrical engineering at McGill University, said the report's findings come as little surprise.
"The infrastructure is aging. It's old. It needs to be replaced and upgraded with current technology," he said.
According to Bouffard, much of Montreal's distribution network operates at a lower voltage (12,000v) compared to other parts of Quebec (25,000v), a discrepancy that predates even the nationalization of electricity in the province.
Hydro-Quebec, however, insists that efforts are underway to address these concerns.
"We are aware of the situation. We are taking it seriously, but we are in action. I think we are doing what needs to be done," said Maxence Huard-Lefebvre, spokesperson for Hydro-Quebec.
This includes the replacement of several ageing substations, such as the one in Hampstead, responsible for frequent outages in the NDG area.
The utility has also ramped up its budget allocation for Montreal, earmarking approximately $4 billion for improvements until 2030.
Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon expressed confidence in the Crown corporation.
"If you look back in the last couple of years, yes, there have been some power outages, but frankly, I think it's been manageable. So I have a lot of respect for Hydro-Quebec's workforce," he said.
Bouffard says he understands why Montrealers may be worried since dependence on electricity is only growing.
"More of us work from home. More of us depend on communication, tech, computers, etc. Some of us have electric cars," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6943621.1719510587!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Watch Live Now: Canadian analysis ahead of the CNN Presidential Debate
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
'No additional flights will be cancelled': WestJet avoids strike as feds order binding arbitration
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
BREAKING Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud.
Canada's top court rejects appeal from Sask. man who murdered wife
The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected an application from a Saskatoon man who murdered his wife.
Where do new Canadians come from? India and Philippines take top spots
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Marilyn Monroe's former Los Angeles home declared a historic monument to save it from demolition
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
AI regulation 'a start,' needs to 'have teeth': Hinton, godfather of AI, says
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.