Thieves swipe copper wire from Manitoba Hydro substation

The theft of copper wire forced Manitoba Hydro to temporarily cut power to about 1,200 customers in southeast Manitoba.

The theft happened overnight at a Richer-area substation, where wires were cut out. Manitoba Hydro discovered the theft Tuesday morning after receiving a number of service calls from customers.

To allow crews to safely repair the damage related to the theft, power had to be shut off, a spokesperson said.

Initially, it was expected that customers in the communities of Ste. Anne and Richer would face an outage from 9 a.m. until about 10:30 a.m. but Hydro now says the power will be off until closer to 2 p.m.

Copper theft has been a problem in many municipalities due to its high value on the scrap metal market.

• Copper wire thefts at Manitoba Hydro substations raise safety concerns

"It's been an ongoing issue over, oh, the last number of months if not years — not only in that area but around southern Manitoba," said Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen, adding the Crown corporation has taken steps to track its wires.

"These thieves have to know that our copper is marked," he said.

Anyone who sees someone stealing or damaging Manitoba Hydro equipment or property is asked to call police immediately.