BC HYDRO crews are to blast holes in a rocky mountainside to install a wooden transmission tower to replace a steel one which toppled over Feb. 11, cutting power to thousands of people in northwestern B.C.
The work at the remote location above Lava Lake just south of the Nass Valley approximately 70km north of Terrace is proving to be a challenge.
Nine workers and their equipment and supplies have to be flown in by helicopter but snow and wind grounded flying for most of yesterday, B.C. Hydro reported yesterday afternoon.
Affected are residents of the Nass Valley, Meziadin and Stewart. All are served by a 138kv transmission line running north of the Skeena Substation near Terrace.
Just why the 55-foot transmission tower toppled over isn't yet known. The wooden replacement is 70 feet high.
BC Hydro says bad weather Feb. 11, the day the outage took place, initially hampered efforts to identify the problem.
The provincial crown corporation flew in specialized crews from the lower mainland Feb. 13 to help with restoration work.
Power could be restored late this afternoon, B.C. Hydro estimates.