It was an early Sunday morning in Cardston, Alberta. The streets were quiet as the town’s residents hadn’t yet begun to stir – sunrise was still hours away. The clock struck 6:00 a.m. signaling that it was time to get to work.
There, on the corner of 1st Avenue and 4th Street West, a few of the Town’s electrical distribution team gathered to meet a rare sight in the scenic, southern Alberta town – an EQUS powerline truck, far outside of its Service Area.
The purpose of this early morning meeting was simple. They were there to replace the infrastructure of the community’s primary power source. But there was one small catch: over 3,800 residents were about to have their power cut off in order for the system upgrade to be completed safely.
The crew’s mission was to get the power back on as soon as possible, undertaking a major system repair within a short two-hour window.
The Town of Cardston’s Fire Department even came out to support the quick change by illuminating the site and providing traffic control to ensure the project was carried out safely. Collaborating as a brand-new team, the Town of Cardston’s electrical staff and EQUS field staff worked quickly but effectively – taking their time to ensure that every detail was accounted for so as not to delay the power outage a minute longer than necessary.
Since the beginning, rural electricity in Alberta has carried the spirit of co-operation. It’s about neighbours helping neighbours. So, it only made sense for EQUS to answer the call when the municipality reached out for help.
By working closely with our neighbours, the crew was able to execute the project successfully, completing the work 25% faster than anticipated. At approximately 7:30 a.m., power was restored to the town’s residents and businesses – just in time for Sunday breakfast.
