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Hydro One restores power to 80,000 customers

July 18, 2006, 4:00 p.m. — Hydro One's efforts to repair damage caused by yesterday's severe summer storm have resulted in power restoration to approximately 80,000 customers since this morning. Approximately 90,000 Hydro One customers remained without power at 4:00 p.m. today.

High winds, hundreds of downed trees and lightning caused substantial damage to lines, poles and other hydro equipment. While the weather has stabilized, Hydro One estimates that due to the size of the storm path and its widespread damage, complete power restoration could take as long as three days in the hardest hit areas, including Nippissing, Manitoulin, Newmarket, Fenelon Falls, Peterborough, and Cobden.

All available crews have been dispatched to complete necessary repair work. Hydro One crews in unaffected or restored areas are being redeployed to the areas hardest-hit by the storm. Work will continue into the night and emergency crews will work through the night.

Hydro One has also contracted additional helicopter resources to assess the nature and extent of system damage so that restoration work can be prioritized.

"Hydro One has undertaken a massive effort to deal with the aftermath of yesterday's severe storm," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations. We have mobilized and deployed all available crews in the affected areas and are working to restore power in the hardest hit communities. We have made significant progress in returning power to almost half of our affected customers and we will work tirelessly to restore power our customers who are still without power. We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this challenging period and will continue to provide updates regarding our restoration efforts."

Other utilities across the province are aiding in the Hydro One's restoration efforts, including: Westario Power, Elk Power, Essex Power, Enwin Power, Kitchener-Wilmot, Waterloo North, Centre Wellington, Guelph Hydro, Brant Hydro, Norfolk Hydro, Veridian, Newmarket Hydro, Kingston Hydro. These crews will aid in restoration efforts and respond to Hydro One emergency calls.

To aid in the restoration of a reliable supply of electricity, customers are asked to turn off all major appliances. The public is advised to stay away from downed power lines.

For the most recent information on power outages go to www.HydroOneNetworks.com.

Hydro One owns and operates Ontario's 28,400 kilometre high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 122,000 kilometre low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.2 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Ontario Government.

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For more information and to make arrangements for photography, contact Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Our Web site is www.HydroOne.com.