BC Hydro says it is working around the clock to restore a damaged submarine cable that delivers power to Vancouver Island in the wake of the province’s recent record heat wave.
The cable has been taken out of service and customers have not been affected, the utility said Monday.
Hydro said it is investigating the impact the extreme heat in late June as a potential cause of the damage.
Last week, its monitoring system detected a bulge and oil leak in one of the submarine cables, which extends from the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver Island. The leak was contained.
Over the weekend, the utility said staff found there was some bulging of two additional cables.
As a result, crews decided to reduce the load on those cables, and have been monitoring them.
BC Hydro is using its available generation capacity on Vancouver Island and independent power producers to meet customer demand.