Damn ice cream! This is the first time since the great ice storm of 1998 that Quebec has surpassed one million subscribers without power. In certain isolated sectors, citizens can wait a few days before being reconnected.
This is the third major event in less than a year. Last May, Derecho turned off the power to up to half a million subscribers. Just before Christmas, a blizzard and strong winds caused damage that resulted in almost 400,000 outages.
Every time, voices are raised calling for the laying of electrical cables. Logically, during extreme weather events, 90% of breakdowns are caused by vegetation, branches falling on cables and equipment.
Seemingly simple: if the electrical lines were found underground, we would have peace! In addition, many see an additional benefit: aesthetics. Poles and wires are not among the ornaments that adorn the landscape of our cities.
Not so easy…
Unfortunately it’s not that simple. First, if Hydro-Québec decides to launch a full-scale operation to bury all the wires, we’re talking astronomical sums. Former Hydro-Quebec President Éric Martel had mentioned an estimate that put the bill at 100 billion.
It was a hundred billion before inflation and labor shortages, not including cost overruns. A hundred billion dollars would be scary price hikes.
In addition to the costs, other questions arise. The burial reduces the frequency of failures. But nothing can reduce the risk of material breakage to zero. However, an intervention in winter under a layer of snow and frozen ground is much more complicated.
Experts also claim that the lifespan of an underground network is less, not more than that of an open-air network. There, wear is accelerated. Is there a way to improve techniques and materials? Probably.
The Europeans asked themselves the same questions. In the Nordic countries, comparable to Quebec, one finds a multitude of reports that show the complexity of burial.
However, after everything was considered, they decided to move on. Across Europe, around 40% of power lines are buried. And they keep going.
After the great ice storm of 1998, the Nicolet Commission considered burying the wires. The blocking point was the financing of the operation.
However, things have evolved. Destructive events in our network are very expensive. Hydro-Québec is spending tens of millions of dollars to repair the damage and tens of millions of dollars in prevention to trim vegetation along the network.
It’s time to start thinking seriously about landfill. Without launching a general operation, should we as soon as we dig a road so the other services can use it to bury the cables?
It’s time to thoroughly rethink the technology and the cost. And make a plan accordingly.
