Thieves stealing grounding wire at substations creating safety hazard

SaskPower says thieves who are stealing copper grounding wire at substations in southern Saskatchewan are putting themselves and others at risk.

Spokesperson Joel Cherry said the thefts have taken place in the Regina, Moose Jaw, Indian Head, White City, Carlyle and Weyburn areas.

Cherry said the value of the material being stolen is relatively small, but the safety risks are significant.

"They're tampering with transformers in some cases, which carry high voltage," he said. "And so any time you're tampering with high voltage electrical equipment, there's a danger of injury, for sure, if not death."

He said the thieves' actions are creating a hazard by potentially electrifying the area.

"The criminals themselves who are making the thefts are at risk of shocking themselves," he said. "And what if they go in there and disturb materials and our staff comes in the next day? They can be at risk as well."

Cherry said, so far, it doesn't appear as if anyone has been hurt.

He said there were six break-ins in the seven days prior to last Tuesday, but there have been none since.

Anyone who witnesses a theft at a SaskPower substation is asked to contact the RCMP.