Ten years ago this week, a record demand for electricity plunged tens of thousands of people into darkness, some for up to a week. DarkNL, as it came to be known, underscored the weaknesses in the provincial power supply. A decade later, N.L. Hydro says it's in great shape to handle the province's electricity needs.
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has mobilized its emergency response teams in the area of Beothuk Lake in central Newfoundland, saying expected snowfall and rainfall could bring a risk of flooding as early as Friday morning.
Rain and snow caused the water level at Beothuk Lake in central Newfoundland to reach its full supply level Friday morning, in a situation that Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro says is "unprecedented." Millertown's mayor says homes in the area could be at risk.
The Public Utilities Board is asking Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro for more information after a second unit at the Holyrood generating station went offline last week. The third one is operating at half its capacity. As Rob Antle reports, Hydro officials have said there is enough power being generated now, but the PUB said the concerns about temperatures dropping and demand rising have been “heightened.”