SaskPower will be continuing to inspect and replace wooden power poles in a few different areas as part of a 10-year project to replace all 1.2 million poles in the province.
This year, maintenance crews will be working in areas around Regina, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw from May until October. The focus is on inspection, to locate and treat issues like physical damage, decay, or carpenter ant infestations. If a repair isn’t possible, the pole will be replaced.
This cycle is set to inspect 113,000 power poles in the aforementioned areas, and there should not be any power outages necessary for crews to work.
According to SaskPower, reinforcement is a more manageable solution than replacing poles; repairs can double the life of the poles and saves money, as it costs around 50 times more to replace a pole.
It also increases safety for SaskPower employees in the future, and ensures that power continues to be reliably available.
Crews will be respecting the SaskPower right-of-way but may need to access private property to complete inspections, and will be properly identified when doing so.
The inspections will take place at the following dates:
- Unity and area, Kipling and area: May 6 to July 31
- City of Moose Jaw, Lumsden and area: August 1 to 31
- City of Prince Albert: August 1 to September 15
- Nipawin and area: September 15 to October 30
From last year's inspections, 1,500 poles are set to be replaced in the Weyburn, Moosomin, Regina, Saskatoon, Meadow Lake, Strasburg, and Davidson areas, costing an estimated $6.2 million. The total budget for this year's program is $10 million.
