New map highlights areas affected by SL&P power outages

Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P) has launched a new interactive power outage map, making it easier than ever for customers to access and view outage information. 

“While our crews are troubleshooting and repairing an outage, we’re committed to keeping customers informed in the easiest, most helpful way,” says Trevor Bell, Director of SL&P. “Service alerts issued on Twitter and on the City website are the primary form of communication for outages, but now the map will also be included with the alerts making it easier to see the area impacted, cause, and estimated time of repair.”  

Outages are either identified from data notification from the electrical system (i.e. smart meters) or through calls from customers. Crews are then dispatched to determine the cause of the outage, and then isolate the issue and complete the repair. Outages may involve minor work, such as trimming trees away from power lines, or much larger tasks such as replacing broken poles, faulty cables, or damaged transformers. Repair work can take minutes or up to several hours.  

“Prior to the power outage map, the impacted outage area was written in a service alert, but since the outage area usually does not follow neighbourhood boundaries it can be difficult to describe the affected area accurately,” says Bell. “While the written information will still be provided, the new map will be a better visual representation of the outage area and will be especially helpful in the event of planned outages.” 

Bell adds that Saskatoon Light & Power’s index of reliability in 2020 was 0.9998, which means that power was delivered to the average customer 99.98% of the time. 

Saskatoon Light & Power provides power to over 60,000 properties within its service area. All customers outside of the service area should refer to the SaskPower website for any outage related information. 

Visit saskatoon.ca/outages for more information on the new power outage map and for power outage tips.