Nearly 400 aging power poles in Abbotsford will be replaced over the next several months.
According to Mora Scott, BC Hydro spokesperson, the average pole’s life expectancy is 50 years. Over time, wooden poles weaken due to adverse weather, insects and wildlife. The Crown corporation regularly inspects the old poles and swaps them out for safety and to strengthen the reliability of the electricity system.
Depending on the number of customers affected, more often than not, BC Hydro or its contractors will endeavour to keep the electricity flowing, she said. If an outage needs to happen for safety reasons, customers will be notified in person, by mail or phone.
The work in Abbotsford is part of a larger province-wide effort that will see 10,000 poles upgraded this year.
BC Hydro maintains 900,000 wooden poles as part of its electricity distribution system. More than 20 per cent of wooden poles have been in service for more than 40 years. In total, the system includes 56,000 kilometres of distribution lines.
