Power restored to mines impacted by forest fires in Kirkland Lake

TORONTO, May 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Hydro One confirms that at 5:12 p.m. yesterday afternoon (central time) it restored power to the mines that had been affected by forest fires in Kirkland Lake.

Restoring power involved replacing 42 electrical structures and repairing other electrical components. Hydro One crews worked closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources to ensure the safety of all personnel responding to the outage.

The fires caused an extended power outage during the past nine days. Hydro One crews were given clearance to access the site on Wednesday, May 23. Power was restored six days after crews were given access.

"We are aware of the impact these power outages have had on the mining operations in Kirkland Lake," said Len McMillan, Vice-president, Lines and Forestry, Hydro One. "As soon as we were allowed access and were able to get on the ground, our people worked safely and tirelessly to rebuild the towers."

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 121,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.4 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

contact Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Our website is www.HydroOne.com