Hydro equipment testing could bring loud bangs in east Winnipeg

WINNIPEG – Loud bangs may be heard coming from Manitoba Hydro’s Riel Station, just east of Winnipeg, early Friday afternoon, the utility warns.

Staff testing protection equipment on the 500,000-volt line that connects Manitoba Hydro’s network to U.S. customers will be deliberately “shorting” the transmission line, a news release says. The test is expected to cause a “very loud bang” that will be heard for some distance.

Manitoba Hydro has warned schools and local authorities about the tests and wants residents to know they shouldn’t be alarmed by the sound.

The Riel Station is just outside Winnipeg’s Perimeter Highway on Deacon Road, between Dugald Road (Highway 15) and the Trans-Canada Highway.

The protection equipment being tested is designed to ensure a short-circuit or other fault on a transmission line is quickly isolated to prevent damage to other equipment, the news release said.