UPDATE – Thursday, January 22 (9:00 a.m.): The Power Watch for the island is no longer in effect. We’ll continue to closely monitor the system and provide updates if necessary.

Thanks for your understanding this morning.

Previous Post:

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (Hydro) is advising island customers that a Power Watch will be in effect beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, January 22. NO ACTION is required for customers at this time and we expect the watch to end once the morning peak demand for electricity has subsided.   

Severe wind and weather conditions continue to impact parts of our system. In particular, we are seeing frazil ice in our water intake areas along the Bay d’Espoir (BDE) system. 

Frazil ice is a slushy ice, often formed in rivers and lakes during cold, windy conditions. It can clump together, stick to obstructions, clog water intakes and cause ice jams for our hydro power systems. While normal in many parts of the province, frazil ice is incredibly rare at the BDE plant. 

To help manage this, all seven units at the BDE plant are offline. We are currently monitoring the system closely and working with Newfoundland Power to meet customer electricity needs.  

We will continue to keep you updated as our teams work to lessen the effects on our system and for our customers. 

You can also follow Hydro on social media at x.com/NLHydro and facebook.com/NLHydro