Nova Scotia Power agrees on fixes in Arthur aftermath

Nova Scotia Power has agreed to implement a series of recommendations to fix problems with its response to post-tropical storm Arthur in July but it sees no need for a public hearing.

"The issues that need to be addressed have been well identified, and further process would delay moving forward with improvements for customers," the utility said Tuesday in a filing to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Nova Scotia Power promised to implement 31 of 32 recommendations made by consultants hired by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Nova Scotia Power said it will hire additional weather forecasters, improve its restoration performance, redesign its automated outage line and fortify its website to withstand high-traffic volumes.

Department of energy spokesperson Kyla Friel called the quick response a good first step.

"We are pleased by the fact Nova Scotia Power has recognized that some issues could have been better handled," she said. "We will monitor the progress of Nova Scotia Power to ensure recommendations are implemented in a timely manner."

The regulator was asked to investigate storm preparedness by an incensed Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil, who called Nova Scotia Power's handling of the storm "inexcusable."

The July 5 storm barrelled through the Maritimes, cutting power to 245,000 Nova Scotian customers. Full restoration took one week. Western Nova Scotia was particularly hard hit.

Response to Arthur went wrong early.

The utility based its response on weather forecasts and a storm track that were inaccurate.

The bad data was plugged into Nova Scotia Power's sophisticated predictive model resulting in 50 fewer crews being dispatched to the Annapolis Valley than were needed to handle the outages there. Winds in the Annapolis Valley were 70 per cent stronger than forecast.

Nova Scotia Power admits it provided inaccurate restoration times to 30,000 customers. Another 24,000 were "politely disconnected" when they called the automated response line. 

Liberty Consulting, hired by the UARB to investigate the utility's performance after the storm, noted that Nova Scotia Power actually restored power to fewer customers per day — 18,000 — than it did in the aftermath of Hurricane Juan a decade ago — 20,000.

Nova Scotia Power has asked the regulators to give it until Nov. 28 to implement immediate steps it can take to improve storm restoration, and communication to customers.