Hydro Ottawa releases its After the storm report

November 15, 2022

OTTAWA – Today, Hydro Ottawa released its After the storm report, a response to the May 2022 derecho.

The report evaluates the company’s response to the event, costs, challenges, business continuity plans and areas for improvement.

With an expected increase in more frequent and extreme weather events resulting from climate change, Hydro Ottawa is integrating learnings from the derecho and focusing efforts on both the grid and their emergency response plans to ensure scalability across their people, process and technology.

Overall, Hydro Ottawa’s core mandate remains the same: to provide a clean, safe and reliable supply of electricity to approximately 353,000 homes and businesses that rely upon it every day, and to ensure a more sustainable energy future for its community.

Quick Facts

  • On May 21, 2022, Ottawa experienced winds of up to 190 kilometres per hour, extensively damaging Hydro Ottawa’s electrical grid.
  • Unlike previous storms, damage and power outages impacted Hydro Ottawa’s entire service territory.
  • There were a total of 1,000 individual outages on the system (in comparison to 200 after the 2018 tornadoes) and more than 1,500 known or reported tree contacts or interferences.
  • At the peak of the aftermath, 180,000 Hydro Ottawa customers were without power – more than half of the company’s customer base.
  • Total damages in Ontario are estimated at $720 million, making this the sixth costliest weather event in Canadian history in terms of insurance claims.
  • This storm cost Hydro Ottawa an estimated $23.8 million.

 

Quote

“We know that electricity is vital to our economy, public health and safety. Because of their interconnectedness, utilities and municipalities must work together to scale up solutions that can build and maintain our community’s resilience, while being cost-effective for our customers. We are committed to working with our shareholder and community partners to strengthen our collective emergency response.”

– Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Media contact:

Josée Larocque
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.
Tel: 613-738-5499 ext. 2345
[email protected]