A massive power outage swept through northern Montreal early on the morning of January 21, 2024, leaving over 50,000 homes without electricity during one of the coldest spells of the year. The outage, which began at approximately 6:25 AM, was attributed to equipment failure at the Charland substation, as reported by Hydro-Québec.
Initially, close to 100,000 addresses lost power, with affected neighborhoods primarily comprising Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension. By 8 AM, crews had managed to restore power to approximately half of the affected homes. "We have equipment failure at the Charland station north of the island of Montreal," explained Lynn St-Laurent, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.
St-Laurent detailed the challenging conditions faced by the utility, stating, "Our teams at the control center performed maneuvers remotely to attempt to power as many customers as possible." Despite their efforts, around 51,692 homes remained without electricity as the severe cold gripped the region, with outdoor temperatures dropping to near -20°C. The extreme weather conditions have raised concerns about the strain on the electrical infrastructure and the potential connection to the equipment failure.
"It's difficult to say for now," St-Laurent commented on the nature of the equipment failure. "We must really wait for the team's return on site to analyze the issue with the equipment." This uncertainty adds to the tension for thousands of Montreal residents facing frigid temperatures without reliable heating.
Hydro-Québec is acutely aware of the impact of the cold weather on its customers. St-Laurent reassured the public, "We are well aware of this particularly harsh cold, so our teams are ready to intervene to make repairs." The utility provider has postponed all planned outages for maintenance scheduled on January 21 and 22 due to the extreme cold, ensuring customers do not face additional inconveniences during this crisis.
The power crisis also highlighted the elevated energy consumption expected during periods of such low temperatures. Cendrix Bouchard, also of Hydro-Québec, indicated earlier forecasts estimating peak consumption could reach around 42,000 megawatts by midweek as residents cranked up their heating systems to combat the cold.
"Tuesday morning, we should have consumption around 41,000 megawatts on the network, and Wednesday, we should be slightly above 42,000 megawatts," stated Bouchard. With temperatures expected to stay bottomed out, Hydro-Québec encouraged consumers to reduce usage, advising they lower their thermostats and delay using large appliances to ease the demand on the power grid.
By around 9:15 AM, Hydro-Québec estimated most of the remaining affected homes would have their power restored. Repair teams continue to work diligently to complete the assessments and repairs required to fully resolve the equipment failures.
This outage serves as a sobering reminder of the vulnerabilities present within urban electrical infrastructures, especially amid severe weather conditions. Residents across the affected neighborhoods remain hopeful for quick restoration and relief as the city grapples with extraordinary weather circumstances.