We will have to wait a little longer before the telecommunications towers located on Montagne Noire regain electricity from Hydro-Québec. The presence of ice on the three structures has disrupted the return to normal since November 22, the date the outage began.
The state-owned company confirms that it is waiting for conditions to be suitable before carrying out work on the tower. “There is still a thick layer of ice, we cannot bring anyone up in these conditions. […] We cannot currently put forward an exact date for a return to normal,” indicates the environmental relations advisor at Hydro-Québec, Marc-André Ruest.
“A team, mandated by an owner of one of the towers, was to begin defrosting last week, but the operation was ultimately canceled due to the risks. She is supposed to come in the next few days,” he adds.
Mr. Ruest specifies, however, that the towers are currently powered with the help of a generator, which would not impact their operations.
On November 21, a large quantity of ice fell on the mountain located in Grand-Fond. The ice caused a lot of damage. At least five Hydro-Québec poles and several trees were broken in the area. 10 customers also experienced a power outage from November 22 to 25.
