Since extreme weather events are becoming an increasingly common occurrence, the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) have formalized arrangements for mutual assistance to restore power after outages, through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
With tornadoes, flooding and ice storms all causing power outages in recent years within the service territories served by our local hydro utility members the effort needed to get the lights back on quickly can sometimes be massive. Our members, and their counterparts in neighbouring states, have a long-standing practice of sending lineworkers and trucks from un-impacted areas to help.
For our part at the EDA, we’re always pleased to help facilitate that. And we’re glad to formalize that commitment to mutual assistance with the NYPA through this MOU. When a utility is running full-out on restoration efforts, having some extra horsepower from outside its service territory can make a material difference to restoration times.
Cross-border calls for assistance have risen in frequency in recent years, in tandem with the increase in extreme weather events. Parts of New York state were hit by severe storms no less than three times in a recent one-month period, leading the NYPA to ask the EDA for its help in requesting and coordinating assistance from Ontario utilities.
The two parties to the MOU have now formally committed to extend such assistance when feasible, creating a clearer pathway towards collaborative restoration efforts for the benefit of electricity customers in both Ontario and New York.