NEWS RELEASE
CLOVERLAND ELECTRICAL COOPERATIVE
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A transmission power line in the Sault Ste. Marie area sustained an outage Monday, Sept. 16 at 4:35 p.m. American Transmission Company (ATC) reported that the outage was caused by a fire that damaged one of its poles. Approximately 6,700 Cloverland Electric Cooperative members were initially affected. At 8 p.m., a substation was taken offline to make additional repairs affecting another 2,700 co-op members in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. Once Cloverland crews replaced the damaged pole, power was restored to a total of 9,459 at midnight. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
Why did this outage affect so many members?
Transmission lines (high voltage, typically between 69 kV and 765 kV) move electricity from power plants to substations over long distances, while distribution lines (lower voltage, typically between 2 kV and 35 kV) move electricity from substations to consumers over shorter distances. When a pole fire affects a transmission line, it often affects power for thousands of members, unfortunately.
Why did outage restoration take so long?
A typical pole replacement takes line crews 3 to 4 hours to complete. This process includes assessing the damage, digging a hole using special equipment, fitting the pole with crossarms, insulators, ground wires and arm braces, then raising the new pole, and backfilling and attaching the wires. Outages often affect connections to substation equipment, so additional repairs are necessary at substations, which can extend restoration time.
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