Temporary fix in place, but Summerside’s power grid remains vulnerable, mayor says [Video]

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher says a planned overnight power outage that was needed to help stabilize the city’s power grid went well, but its electrical system remains vulnerable.

The outage, scheduled from 1 to 6 a.m. AT, allowed Maritime Electric to connect Summerside to a mobile transformer at the Sherbrooke Substation. This temporary solution comes after a failure at the substation led to ongoing power challenges for the city over the past two weeks.

Kutcher said about half of the city lost power around 1 a.m. Thursday, followed by an almost full-city outage at 3 a.m. Power was fully restored by 5:30 a.m., about half an hour earlier than scheduled.

While the mobile transformer — which Maritime Electric brought in from Newfoundland — has now been installed, the mayor said it is only a short-term fix and does not guarantee long-term reliability.

“We’re happy that it’s there, but the vulnerability continues,” he told CBC’s Island Morning. 

Kutcher said he has not …