Newfoundland Power – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Copper Theft Twice in Three Days from Newfoundland Power Substation in South River

Mark Cowan — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 12:26:03 +0000

Copper Theft Twice in Three Days from Newfoundland

Bay Roberts RCMP are investigating two copper theft events that occurred four days apart at Newfoundland Power’s substation on Springfield Road in South River.

According to a RCMP release, on both occasions – Oct. 26 and Oct. 29 – Newfoundland Power reported access was gained to the company by cutting the lock on the secured gate.

On October 26th, copper wire was cut from several power towers.

During the second break-in on October 29th, copper wire was cut and stolen, and there was substantial damage done to the high-voltage electricity system in the compound. It resulted in a power outage that affected nearly 3,000 customers in the area for more than four hours.

In light of the incidents, the company is cautioning the public about the dangers of entering locked areas of a high-voltage electricity system, such as substations. “Grounding wire is a very important part of the electrical equipment’s protection system,” the RCMP release states.“Once tampered with or removed, it makes it extremely dangerous for anyone in the substation and for employees to enter to make repairs.”

Content by thewesternstar.com

Tags: copper theft, Newfoundland Power

Blog Home

The post Copper Theft Twice in Three Days from Newfoundland Power Substation in South River appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Mark Cowan — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 18:45:33 +0000

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

by Mark Cowan

Vandalism and copper theft continue at High Voltage Substations despite strong warnings.

Newfoundland Power is extremely concerned that vandals are continuing to illegally enter its high voltage substations and damaging the province’s electricity system. Warnings regarding the significant danger of entering these high voltage facilities that put the lives of the Company’s employees and the public at risk are not being respected or followed.

On or before Sunday, December 4, vandals illegally entered the Company’s Lethbridge Substation on the Bonavista Peninsula. The vandals cut a hole in the substation fence, caused damage to electrical equipment and stole copper grounding wire that was connected to the high voltage electricity grid, compromising the integrity and reliability of the electricity system. There was also a break-in at the Company’s Boyd’s Cove Substation near Twillingate at the end of November.

“This illegal activity has to stop before it is too late and someone is seriously injured or killed,” stressed Gary Murray, Vice President, Engineering and Operations, Newfoundland Power. “We responded as soon as the alarm system in the building was activated which appeared to deter the vandals.” The grounding wire that was stolen is an important part of the substation safety protection system. Once tampered with or removed, it makes it extremely dangerous for employees to enter to make repairs, putting them in harm’s way unnecessarily. Recent acts of vandalism have also had a direct impact on customers with lengthy outages required in several instances to safely make repairs.

“We are taking this very seriously and every incident is reported to the police for investigation. We are appealing to the public to help put a stop to this dangerous, illegal activity and have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of these individuals from $5,000 to $10,000,” added Murray.

Newfoundland Power will pay $10,000 to any individual for the information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person, or persons, responsible for this crime. Anyone with information regarding this incident, or any act of theft or vandalism to electrical equipment, is encouraged to contact their local Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary detachment or Crime Stoppers.

Newfoundland Power is the primary distributer of electricity on the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, and purchases 93% of its energy needs from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. With a customer base of approximately 263,000 accounts, Newfoundland Power is committed to safety, dedicated to the highest level of customer service and delivers reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost. For more information on Newfoundland Power’s programs, services and community partnerships, please visit newfoundlandpower.com.

Source: newfoundlandpower.com

Tags: copper theft, grounding, Newfoundland Power, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Grounding Copper Theft at Multiple Newfoundland Substations, Canada

Mark Cowan — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 11:32:54 +0000

Grounding Copper Theft at Multiple Newfoundland Substations, Canada

by Mark Cowan

Newfoundland Power says several separate electricity substations have been hit by copper theft in the past three weeks, most recently at the New Chelsea substation on the Avalon side of Trinity Bay.

“This happens despite the messaging and the strong risk factor involved in entering a high-voltage facility,” said Michele Coughlan, public affairs manager with the company.”It really has us perplexed, and quite concerned that people would continue to attempt to do this,” she said in an interview.

New Chelsea substation
According to the company, vandals cut a whole in the New Chelsea station fence sometime on or before Monday 13th June 2016, and stole copper grounding wire that was connected to the grid. The theft broke a part of the substation’s safety protection system, according to the company, and cut power to about 2,600 during a lightning storm Monday night. Coughlan said the thieves only take off with about $100 worth of wire, which makes the dangerous break-ins even more senseless.
“They’re able to get very little copper, and the copper that they get is not really worth very much,” she said.

Summerford and Twillingate Substations
The wire would have been stolen between 31st Oct. and 3rd Nov. (2015)
According to police, unknown people or persons went into the substations and stole “a significant amount of copper wire,” the copper theft caused “significant damage” to the electrical systems in both stations.
RCMP said these thefts create a dangerous situation for the thieves, as well as employees making repairs.
Anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Rattling Brook Substation
On or before Wednesday, June 15 2016, vandals illegally entered the Newfoundland Power’s Rattling Brook Substation, located in the community of Norris Arm. Copper grounding wire that was connected to the high voltage electricity grid was stolen.
“Copper theft creates a serious safety risk for Newfoundland Power employees, contractors, the general public and the vandals themselves. It also compromises substation safety and the integrity and reliability of the electricity system,” says Gary Murray, Vice President, Engineering and Operations, Newfoundland Power.

Source: newfoundlandpower.com

Tags: canada, copper theft, grounding, Newfoundland Power, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Grounding Copper Theft at Multiple Newfoundland Substations, Canada appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Newfoundland Power – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Copper Theft Twice in Three Days from Newfoundland Power Substation in South River

Copper Theft Twice in Three Days from Newfoundland

Bay Roberts RCMP are investigating two copper theft events that occurred four days apart at Newfoundland Power’s substation on Springfield Road in South River.

According to a RCMP release, on both occasions – Oct. 26 and Oct. 29 – Newfoundland Power reported access was gained to the company by cutting the lock on the secured gate.

Share this entry

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Vandalism and copper theft continue at High Voltage Substations despite strong warnings.

Share this entry

Grounding Copper Theft at Multiple Newfoundland Substations, Canada

Grounding Copper Theft at Multiple Newfoundland Substations, Canada

Newfoundland Power says several separate electricity substations have been hit by copper theft in the past three weeks, most recently at the New Chelsea substation on the Avalon side of Trinity Bay.

Share this entry