Blown high-voltage fuse causes power outage

It took only 25 minutes for Greater Sudbury Hydro to get customers in Greater Sudbury back online after a high-voltage fuse blew at the Arthur Street substation today.

“We don't yet know the extent of the problem, but a high-voltage fuse blew, which usually indicates there is some kind of issue,” Brian McMillan, vice-president distribution electrical systems, said. “We should know by the end of today what the problem is with the station, and then we'll have to determine if we can fix the problem readily or if it's going to be a long-term problem.”

Power lines go out from the main station like tentacles, he said, and other stations all meet at common points. GSU crews have isolated the Arthur Street substation, took it offline, and put the load on other stations.

“We have transferred all customers affected by the power outage to other feeders, so they all have power now,” McMillan said. “We're waiting for the substation crew to arrive to have a look at it. It could be a blown transformer, it could be a lot of other things, we just don't know yet.

If the problem isn't easily fixable, those homes that draw power from the Arthur Street substation will continue to feed off other stations for the time being, McMillan said.

Posted by Arron Pickard