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NB Power investing extra $5.1M in tree trimming in 2014-2015

December 6, 2014 – NB Power says it is spending an additional $5.1 million this year to bolster grid reliability by cutting and trimming thousands of trees weakened by last summer’s Post-tropical Storm Arthur. This extra investment brings the utility’s 2014/2015 tree trimming expenditure to $12.1 million.

“Our customers are experiencing outages related to trees damaged by the high winds and heavy rains brought by Arthur in July,” said Gaetan Thomas, president and CEO. “Our customers are frustrated by these outages, and we are, too.”

The $12.1 million in spending includes an updated forecast of $8 million in program spending, plus a one-time cost of $4.1 million on tree trimming contractors related to Arthur.

“We’re building more capacity into our vegetation management program through the use of remote-sensing laser technology (LiDAR) and GIS mapping, allowing us we can make the most of our investment by focusing on areas with high likelihood of tree contacts,” added Thomas.

While normally a seasonal program that runs during the late spring, summer and fall months, tree contractors will work through the winter months this year. Last year, NB Power spent $2.5 million on tree trimming contractors in the days following the December ice storms in addition to $6.1 million for preventive maintenance, bringing the total spending to $8.6 million.