A power warning for residents across the island of Newfoundland is now lifted, according to a press release by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.
Residents are no longer asked to conserve electricity. Instead a power watch is now in place, asking residents to be prepared to conserve electricity if asked.
The power warning came into effect Saturday morning when the Bay d’Espoir hydroelectric plant went offline due to thick, frazil ice clogging the plant’s intake pipes. The utility asked residents to conserve as much energy as possible to avoid a power emergency where rotating power outages would bring planned blackouts.
Now, the utility says that six of the seven generator units at the Bay d’Espoir plant are back in full service.
This comes hours after N.L. Hydro announced a breakthrough in removing frazil ice “the size of mattresses” from the plant’s intake pipes.
N.L. Hydro says the power watch is being kept in place as a precaution considering the extreme cold temperatures expected in the province until Tuesday.
Some municipalities have planned to reopen their facilities come Monday morning. The City of Mount Pearl announced Sunday evening that all city facilities will be open as normal.
