Newsroom

    TORONTO, Jan. 9 /CNW/ - Approximately 140,000 Hydro One customers are
without power as a result of severe winds that moved across parts of the
province all day Wednesday.
    Hydro One crews mobilized and deployed to assess and repair the damage
resulting from the wind storm report that they continue to see significant
numbers of downed poles and trees on lines. While winds have subsided in parts
of the province, some areas continue to experience windy conditions; causing
new outages and hampering restoration efforts. Crews will continue to work
into the evening, however the Company expects that some customers in the
hardest hit and remote areas may be without power until later this week. The
company will continue to update the status of its restoration efforts.The most impacted areas include:
    --------------------------------------------
    Areas Most Impacted     Number of Hydro One
                             Customers Affected
    --------------------------------------------
    Strathroy                             1,800
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    Barrie                                4,100
    --------------------------------------------
    Bracebridge                          12,200
    --------------------------------------------
    Orillia                               2,700
    --------------------------------------------
    Owen Sound                            5,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Parry Sound                           7,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Penetang                              7,100
    --------------------------------------------
    Manitoulin                            4,800
    --------------------------------------------
    Nipissing                             3,700
    --------------------------------------------
    Huntsville                           13,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Minden                               12,600
    --------------------------------------------
    Fenelon Falls                         2,100
    --------------------------------------------
    Peterborough                          2,200
    --------------------------------------------
    Tweed                                 7,900
    --------------------------------------------
    Bancroft                             13,900
    --------------------------------------------
    Cobden                                4,000
    --------------------------------------------
    Kingston                              4,400
    --------------------------------------------
    Picton                                1,500
    --------------------------------------------
    New Liskeard                          1,500
    --------------------------------------------
    Orangeville                           3,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Winchester                            1,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Brockville                            4,700
    --------------------------------------------
    Arnprior                              1,800
    --------------------------------------------
    Perth                                 3,700
    --------------------------------------------
    Frankford                             3,300
    --------------------------------------------
    Vankleek Hill                         2,700
    --------------------------------------------"We recognize that power outages in the winter are challenging for our
customers and we will do all possible to have people restored as quickly and
safely as we can," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer
Operations, Hydro One. "We will continue to deploy all available resources to
restore power and as power is restored in one area, crews will be redeployed
to other parts of the province to assist with further restoration efforts."

    Important Safety Information

    Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen
power lines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous. People are
urged to report to Hydro One the location of the fallen wires as soon as
possible. Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be
fatal.

    Restoring Power to Customers with Customer-Owned Equipment

    Hydro One advises customers that their privately-owned electrical
equipment may have sustained damage in this week's storm. If you know that
your customer-owned equipment is damaged, you will need to hire a qualified
electrical contractor to undertake necessary repair work who will then arrange
for the required ESA inspection and Hydro One reconnection to restore your
power.
    For the most recent information on power outages go to
www.HydroOneNetworks.com.

    Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes
and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's
28,000 kilometre high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity
to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 125,000 kilometre
low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use
customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly
owned by the Ontario Government.