Ontario Electrical Utilities Respond Fast on Safety Concern

TORONTO, April 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Electricity Distributors Association President and CEO Charlie Macaluso has made the following statement, in response to today's announcement of the successful province-wide removal of a specific electrical meter deemed by provincial authorities to represent a potential safety hazard:

"We are pleased with the confirmation that virtually all of the meters in question have been taken out of service, within just a little more than two months after the direction to do so from the Electrical Safety Authority. While these specific meters made up an extremely small proportion of the millions of smart meters in use around the province, this still represents an exceptional response on the part of our member utilities.

"Delivering electricity and maintaining the necessary infrastructure calls for the most rigorous commitment to safety possible. The prompt and effective action our members took clearly demonstrates how seriously they take that commitment.

"Ontario's electricity distribution companies always stand ready to work collaboratively with the provincial safety authority and others to ensure the safe, reliable and cost-efficient delivery of electricity."

Background: On January 22, 2015, the Electrical Safety Authority directed the province's electricity distributors to replace and discontinue use of more than 5,000 of a particular model of remote disconnect meters manufactured by Sensus. This was a precautionary measure, based on the Authority's identification of a susceptibility of these meters to a particular kind of failure. No safety events had been reported in Ontario relating to these meters. The Authority has today confirmed that all such meters have been removed, with the exception of a single meter which is due for removal later this month once access to its location can be arranged.

About the EDA
The Electricity Distributors Association is the voice of Ontario's local electricity distribution sector, which consists primarily of municipally and privately owned local distribution companies. The distribution sector delivers power to Ontarians through 4.9 million residential, commercial and institutional customer accounts. The sector employs 10,000 people directly (FTE) and makes hundreds of millions in direct contributions to both municipal and provincial revenues.

SOURCE Electricity Distributors Association

Please contact Kevin Hanson, at 905-265-5337 or [email protected]