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Hydro One works to restore power to remaining 10,000 customers in communities most affected by storm

July 21, 2006, 4:00 p.m. — Hydro One's efforts to repair damage caused by Monday's severe summer storm continue. The company has restored power to approximately 160,000 customers since early Tuesday morning.

Hydro One workers continue to repair damage resulting from Monday's record-breaking storm that caused the most damage to Ontario's electricity system since the Ice Storm of 1998. Crews that have completed restoration activities in southern and eastern parts of the province have been redeployed to aid in restoration in the areas still without power.

The company has replaced almost 1,000 poles, 4,000 insulators and more than 200 transformers across Ontario.

"We still have work ahead of us to complete restoration in the Nipissing and Sudbury areas and that's the focus of this weekend," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations. "We understand how difficult this is for those still waiting to have their power restored. We are bringing field staff in from all over Ontario and are putting a great effort into returning power to these communities and won't rest until every light is back on."

Cobden
In the Ottawa River area, approximately 140 staff are wrapping up work today. As this work is completed, many of these workers will be redeployed to the Mattawa area to aid in restoration over the weekend.

These line maintainers, foresters and support staff come from Cobden, Bancroft, Kingston, Trenton, Tweed, Ottawa, Vankleek Hill, Winchester and other parts of eastern Ontario.

North Bay
There are 307 field staff working within the North Bay area boundaries. This location is normally home to 14 lines staff and five other workers. There are now 186 line maintainers, 93 foresters and 28 support staff working in the area.

These employees are normally based in North Bay, Essex, Kent, Beachville, Alymer, Strathroy, Walkerton, Listowel, Dundas, Thorold, Barrie, Bowmanville, Winchester, London, Toronto, Belleville, Brockville, Minden, Thorold, Peterborough, Bracebridge, Owen Sound, Simcoe and Timmins.

Sudbury
There are 190 field staff working within the Sudbury area boundaries. This location is normally home to 25 lines staff and 8 others support teams. There are now 133 line maintainers, 36 foresters and 21 support staff, including staff from Guelph Hydro and Sudbury Public Utility Company.

These additional crew members are normally based in Dundas, Guelph, Alliston, Parry Sound, Penetang, Barrie, Orillia, Beachville, Alymer, Perth, Ottawa and Orangeville.

Manitoulin Island
There are 93 field staff working within the Manitoulin Island area boundaries. This location is normally home to seven lines staff and three others including support staff. Today's compliment includes 62 line maintainers, 19 foresters and 12 support staff. As things wind down here today, crews will be moved to Sudbury as necessary.

These employees are normally based in Algoma, Barrie, Toronto, Peterborough, Lambton, Owen Sound, Thunder Bay, Kenora and Timmins.

Important Safety Information

Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen power lines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous. People are urged to report to Hydro One the location of the fallen wires as soon as possible. Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be fatal.

Restoring Power to Customers with Customer-Owned Equipment

Hydro One advises customers that their privately-owned electrical equipment may have sustained damage in this week's storm. If you know that your customer-owned equipment is damaged, you will need to hire a qualified electrical contractor to undertake necessary repair work who will then arrange for the required ESA inspection and Hydro One reconnection to restore your power.

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.