SaskPower to inspect almost 100,000 wooden poles for damage

Saskatchewan’s Crown power corporation plans to spend $5.8 million to inspect thousands of wooden power poles around the province.

According to SaskPower, the company’s workers will examine and test 97,000 power poles for signs of decay, damage or infestation by carpenter ants.

The company said it also plans to test more than 8,200 overhead transformer grounds in rural regions of Saskatchewan, and install wildlife protection measures on 2,000 power poles in areas where animal damage is a greater risk. No outages will be necessary during the inspections.

Saskatchewan has more than 1.2 million wooden power poles in service, SaskPower noted.

“There are more wood power poles in Saskatchewan than people, and making sure this critical infrastructure is routinely inspected and maintained is vital to grid reliability,” Tim Eckel with SaskPower explained in a statement. “It also saves money by extending the life of the poles.”

If damaged poles are identified, the utility said repairs or reinforcements will be used whenever possible, but if it can’t be safely fixed, the pole will be earmarked for replacement.

Inspection crews will carry identification and wear high-visibility clothing, the company noted.

“Crews will work within the SaskPower right-of-way as much as possible, though occasional access to private property may be required,” the company noted.

The work is expected to take place between June and October in the districts around Canora, Estevan, Fort Qu’Appelle, Humboldt, La Ronge, Maple Creek, Meadow Lake, Melfort, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Regina, Swift Current and Yorkton.