SaskPower plans to do some work on power poles in the P.A. area (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Summer Construction Season

Summer work planned for P.A.

Apr 29, 2019 | 4:49 PM

This summer, Prince Albert residents may notice some extra construction workers out and about.

SaskPower plans to have crews in the city that will be looking at power poles for repair or replacement work.

“They’re going to be working between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15. During that time people should be aware that there are going to be workers out there,” Joel Cherry, a spokesperson with SaskPower, said.

The work in P.A. is part of a wider program and will also see poles in the area around Nipawin, Cumberland House and Carrot River looked at as well. Crews will also be working in southern parts of the province.

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Cherry said crews will be examining over 110,000 poles for signs of damage province-wide. Damage can range from regular wear and tear, to carpenter ant infestations. Heading into this year, the Crown-owned utility plans to replace 1,500 poles which they identified last year.

“Having the poles in good shape is an important part of reducing the number of outages that we have and ensuring that we have a reliable supply of power for our customers,” Cherry said.

According to SaskPower, there are over 1.2 million wood power poles in the province. This year they will spend $10 million for maintenance, which is part of a 10-year program that sees all the poles in the province inspected over that time period.

Cherry said people in P.A. and other areas where work is scheduled will not notice any disruptions.

“There will not be any outages required for this,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn