Newsroom

    TORONTO, Jan. 30 /CNW/ - Snow and high winds gusting above 90 km/hr that
moved across parts of the province overnight resulted in approximately
90,000 Hydro One Customers losing power. Since the storm started, Hydro One
has restored power to approximately 40,000 customers; leaving approximately
50,000 customers without power across the province at about noon today.
    Hydro One has mobilized and deployed crews to assess and repair the storm
damage across the province. Road closures in the Manitoulin and North Bay
areas are hampering restoration efforts, with crews unable to reach areas that
need repair. Helicopters, which play an important role in restoration work,
continue to be grounded due to high winds.
    While the company expects to have the majority of its customers' power
restored tonight, customers in the hardest hit areas and areas that continue
to experience poor weather and road closures, could remain without power until
tomorrow. The company will continue to update on the status of its restoration
efforts.The most impacted areas include:

    -------------------------------------------------
    Areas Most Impacted          Number of Hydro One
                                  Customers Affected
    -------------------------------------------------
    Aylmer                                     1,200
    -------------------------------------------------
    Walkerton                                  2,700
    -------------------------------------------------
    Bracebridge                                3,200
    -------------------------------------------------
    Orangeville                                2,400
    -------------------------------------------------
    Bowmanville                                2,900
    -------------------------------------------------
    Newmarket                                    550
    -------------------------------------------------
    Parry Sound                                1,300
    -------------------------------------------------
    Penetang                                   2,500
    -------------------------------------------------
    Nipissing                                 11,500
    -------------------------------------------------
    Sudbury                                      600
    -------------------------------------------------
    Timmins                                      800
    -------------------------------------------------
    Huntsville                                 4,000
    -------------------------------------------------
    Peterborough                                 600
    -------------------------------------------------
    Tweed                                      1,550
    -------------------------------------------------
    Trenton                                    2,000
    -------------------------------------------------
    Bancroft                                   3,250
    -------------------------------------------------"Although our crews are on the job working to restore our customers,
Mother Nature is thwarting our efforts in parts of the province," said Myles
D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations, Hydro One. "As always, we
will focus all available resources on the restoration effort so we can
minimize, to the extent possible, the impact of this wind storm on our
customers."

    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.