As part of its annual inspection and maintenance of power infrastructure throughout the province, SaskPower is investing $5.8 million to inspect and test nearly 97,000 wood power poles. Along with examining wood poles for signs of decay, damage and carpenter ant infestation, the utility will test more than 8,200 overhead power transformer grounds in rural areas and install wildfire protection on 2,000 power poles in high-risk areas.

“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. It also saves money by extending the life of the poles,” said Tim Eckel, SaskPower Vice President of Energy Transition & Asset Management. “Maintaining reliable power for our customers is our priority, and we will ensure that this important work is done with the health and safety of our customers, employees and contractors in mind.”

While inspections are taking place, crews will wear high-visibility clothing and carry identification. Whenever possible, a damaged pole will be reinforced or repaired. Any power pole that cannot be safely repaired will be earmarked for replacement or integrated into a future line rebuild.

No power outages are necessary to conduct this work. Crews will remain within the SaskPower right-of-way as much as possible, though occasional access to private property may be required.

The schedule for this work is (subject to change):

• Fort Qu'Appelle district – June to July
• Maple Creek district – June to July
• Melfort district – June to July
• Moose Jaw district – June to July
• North Battleford district – July to October
• Yorkton district – July to October
• Estevan district – August to September
• Swift Current district – June to July
• Regina district – June to August
• Canora district – July to September
• Humboldt district – July to October
• La Ronge district – September to October
• Meadow Lake district – October

For more information, visit saskpower.com/woodpoles.

At a glance...

• SaskPower is investing over $5.8 million to inspect and maintain 97,000 wood power poles in Saskatchewan
• Crews will also test overhead power transformer grounds and install wildfire protection in high-risk areas
• Saskatchewan has more than 1.2 million wood power poles in service
• No outages are necessary for these inspections
• Learn more at saskpower.com/woodpoles