2019 Achievements
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What's the context?
We've provided data on achievements in 2019. If you're looking for additional context on how much overall infrastructure is maintained by Utilities Kingston, check out their overview infographics.
16 distribution substations maintained in 2019 is one less than in 2018. In 2019, we decommissioned Municipal Substation No. 17 at Dalton Ave. and St. Remy Place. This equipment was at the ends of its useful life.
Overhead Work
In 2019, crews replaced 102 end-of-life electricity poles, including the following major projects:
- Replaced 12 wood poles and two transformers at Francis and Churchill Streets.
- Replaced nine wood poles and three transformers on Patrick Street.
- Replaced 12 deteriorated wood poles and two transformers on Russell Street.
- Replaced 13 third-party poles and transferred existing overhead primary and secondary attachments.
- Rebuilt the pole line on Victoria Street between Princess and Mack.
Substation Work
Multi-Year Project Progresses at Municipal Substation No. 1
Municipal Substation No. 1 (MS1) is Kingston’s oldest substation, located inside a heritage building on lower Queen Street, and helps to ensure safe and reliable service to the downtown core. Work is progressing as part of a multi-year project that was initiated in 2015 and is expected to be completed by 2023.
The work in 2019 focused on upgrading the 5 kV bus protection relays. To ensure worker safety, these mechanical relay devices needed to be updated with new electronic relays, before the legacy water-cooled power transformers could be replaced in 2020. Additional preparatory work for the new transformers included rerouting water cooling lines so that new cable trays could be installed. To allow crews to isolate power to MS1 for the first time in history, upgrades were completed at Transformer Vault 13.
Additional Substation Work
- Substation No. 4 is located on Princess St. at Hillendale Ave. In 2019, the station was isolated from service while new arc-resistant switchgear was installed to improve service reliability and worker safety at this location.
- In 2019, we decommissioned Municipal Substation No. 17 at Dalton Ave. and St. Remy Place. This equipment was at the ends of its useful life. To support this work, an additional circuit was installed at Municipal Substation No. 16.
- Brick work and a new roof were completed at Municipal Substation No. 11 and Municipal Substation No. 12.
Preventative Maintenance
Our activities to operate, maintain and upgrade electricity distribution equipment help ensure power reliability for our customers.
Preventative maintenance helps identify and address problems before they occur.
Visual Inspection
We service a total of 5,229 electric poles. Of these, we visually inspected 2,783 poles and related equipment, east of Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard and North of Princess Street. Inspection results are assessed and used to help prioritize capital works.
Infrared Detection
Infrared scanning to proactively detect faulting electrical equipment was again performed on the entire 44 kV overhead sub-transmission network, one-third of the 5 kV overhead distribution network, 60 transformer vaults and at all 16 substations.
This preventative program has proven to be an efficient method to address problems before equipment fails and leads to unplanned outages.
A total of 113 defects were identified in 2019, consistent with the previous year. The findings assist with prioritizing operation and maintenance works.
Is Tree Trimming Coming to Your Neighbourhood?
To reduce outages that can occur from weather events, ensure worker and public health and safety, and to meet regulatory requirements, we trim the trees in the entire distribution area over a three-year period.
To help reduce disruption to our customers, we now offer a map on our website, explaining when to expect tree trimming in a given month.
Trees are important to the beauty, comfort, health and safety of our community. For example, they play a role in providing quality tap water by slowing storm water and reducing run-off pollution that otherwise ends up in Lake Ontario, Kingston’s source of drinking water.
Utilities Kingston aims to reduce the environmental impact of delivering utility services. When the right tree is planted in the right place, it helps to ensure the safety and reliability of gas, water, wastewater and electricity infrastructure, while protecting the trees themselves. For every municipally-owned tree removed under this program, we fund its replacement with three trees.
Featured Department: Hydro Operations Group
Regulation and Legislation
Customer Satisfaction
Survey says: 95 per cent of surveyed Utilities Kingston customers say they are satisfied with the electrical services they receive from us. We received an ‘A’ on a report card used to grade utility companies across the province, consistent with the first time this survey was conducted in 2014, and the second time it was conducted in 2017.
In 2019, Utilities Kingston contracted UtilityPULSE, an opinion research firm, to phone 400 of our 28,000 customers in central Kingston and ask a few questions about our electrical services. We were one of many electric utilities in Ontario to have conducted the customer satisfaction survey, as required by the Ontario Energy Board.
Scorecard
In 2019, Kingston Hydro’s 2018 performance received solid scores via the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) – the fifth year the energy regulator has issued a scorecard. The scorecard confirms that Kingston Hydro continues to perform well against provincial targets. Download the Kingston Hydro Scorecard, for the year 2018
Audits
Each year, a mandated audit is conducted to assess our compliance with the main aspects of Ontario Electrical Distribution Safety Regulation 22/04. This third-party audit ensures that work being conducted by Utilities Kingston for Kingston Hydro is in accordance with construction and safety standards established through this regulation.
The 2019 audit determined that the company was in complete compliance with the relevant sections of the regulation. The auditor expressed appreciation for the high degree of professionalism exhibited by our staff.
Power Outages
Providing reliable electricity services to customers is important. When the power goes out unexpectedly, we work to restore power as safely and efficiently as possible.
Causes of Unplanned/Emergency Power Outages
Planned Events
To perform maintenance and ensure the safety of crews working on the electricity distribution system, portions may be de-energized for maintenance or work protection. As a result, some customers are affected by scheduled outages. In 2019, we scheduled 81 of these events, accounting for 8,289 total customer hours of interruption (TCHI).
Unplanned Events
Unplanned or emergency outages in 2019 totaled 79, with 51,679 TCHI. This 25 per cent increase in TCHI over 2018 is largely attributed to a major event (35,770 TCHI) in November that is out of Kingston Hydro’s control. The TCHI would be 15,909 when the major event is excluded from the reliability performance calculation, which is a 61 percent decrease in TCHI over 2018.
Causes:
A severe windstorm hit Ontario on November 1, leaving 7,069 out of 27,600 (or 25.6 per cent) of customers without power in the Kingston Hydro service territory. This event was worsened by the heavy amount of rain prior to the high winds, which caused large trees to be uprooted, taking down power lines.
This event accounts for 35,770 total customer hours of interruption (or 60 per cent) of yearly TCHI in 2019. The OEB define a Major Event as an event that is beyond the control of the distributor and is unforeseeable, unpredictable, unpreventable, or unavoidable. Such events disrupt normal business operations and occur so infrequently that it would be uneconomical to take them into account when designing and operating the distribution system. Such events cause exceptional and/or extensive damage to assets, they take significantly longer than usual to repair, and they affect a substantial number of customers. The reliability calculation using the OEB accepted calculation method indicates this windstorm deem a Major Event.
Failing equipment continues to be the leading factor in forced outages and emphasizes the importance of continued investments in infrastructure renewal and targeted preventive maintenance activities.
Tree contact with wires caused 15 outages and 3,824 TCHI. Restoring outages due to tree contact typically involves clearing around the lines or tree removal, and the work often takes place in backyard areas with limited access.
Foreign interference accounted for 11 outages and 4,332 TCHI. Six outages were caused by vehicles hitting poles or trucks contacting overhead conductors. Five outages were due to the birds or bird nests contacting power lines.
Response to Wind Storm, Nov. 1-3
The extreme wind storm we experienced on Friday, Nov. 1 created widespread damage to electricity infrastructure across the province, including here in Kingston. Our crews worked into the night on both Friday and Saturday, with all available staff and equipment deployed. We prioritized the work to restore services as safely and quickly as possible.
Crews restored 29 power outage areas, with a focus on maintaining worker and public safety. The outages affected a total of 7,500 customers. They were caused by damaged infrastructure, trees contacting live wires, downed powerlines, and more. In some cases, high winds knocked trees onto lines, breaking poles and damaging other equipment.
All outage areas were restored before midnight on Saturday, Nov. 2. Some individual customers were without power for a longer duration, due to damage to their private infrastructure. A small area planned outage was needed Sunday for tree removal.
Utilities Kingston Recognized as “Centre of Excellence”
New Outage Management System
In 2019, Utilities Kingston implemented a new outage management system (OMS) to help further improve addressing and communicating power outages.
The SurvalentONE OMS pinpoints both planned and unplanned power outages, providing accurate and timely information, both for the public and for crews as they work to restore power.
The OMS is integrated with our monitoring and control system, geographic information system, customer information system and metering infrastructure. The system advises operators of an outage, based on the status of smart meters or other monitored devices. Verified outages are posted to the map at https://Power.UtilitiesKingston.com/Outages
Service Excellence Recognition
For the second time, the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) has recognized Utilities Kingston as a Centre of Excellence, this time for our outage management system, for service excellence.
Get the details on this innovative approach – and how it improves the delivery of utility services, for now and in the future, from the Centre of Excellence website.
Energy Efficiency
Conservation is the cleanest and least costly way to increase electricity system capacity, while empowering customers to manage their electricity use and save money. It can extend the useful life of existing infrastructure and reduce the environmental impact of electricity distribution.
Learn about Utilities Kingston's conservation achievements for 2019.