SaskPower to invest $4.5 million to inspect 112,000 wooden power poles

SaskPower said it will spend an estimated $4.5 million on its annual wood pole inspection and maintenance program to help provide safe and reliable electricity. The project will inspect over 112,000 wood power poles.

“There are over 1.2 million wood power poles in Saskatchewan,” said Tim Eckel, SaskPower vice-president of asset management, planning, and sustainability. “To help ensure safe and reliable power, we do annual wood pole inspections to look for damage and decay, and carry out maintenance to extend the life of the poles.”

SaskPower’s $4.5 million investment this year will focus on:

• Saskatoon area, including Martensville, Dalmeny and Warman (27,000 poles – May to July);
• Weyburn and area (42,000 poles – May to August);
• City of Saskatoon (7,000 poles – August to September);
• Preeceville and area, including Sturgis and Norquay (18,000 poles – August to October); and
• Meadow Lake and area (18,000 poles – August to October).

The inspection and maintenance program involves looking for damage, such as deteriorating signs or carpenter ant infestation. When able, the crews repair the pole to extend its life and keep it in service. In the case where a pole can’t be repaired, it will be identified for replacement.

SaskPower said the cost to maintain wood poles is approximately $50 per pole, on average, while it costs about $2,500 to replace each pole.

Without maintenance, the life expectancy of a wood power pole is about 25-35 years, but through the SaskPower maintenance program, the life expectancy is reported to extend more than 60 years.