Inspection and maintenance of nearly 70,000 wooden power poles in Yorkton and area will take place until September.
SaskPower has begun annual inspection and maintenance on its wood power poles in several areas of the province. This helps extend the life and maintain reliability, while curbing replacement costs in urban and rural areas.
Work crews plan to inspect the poles for decay, carpenter ant infestation and mechanical damage, from now until fall, weather permitting. Where applicable, work crews will also perform maintenance to extend the life span of poles.
“Saskatchewan contains 1.2 million power poles, that’s more than there are people,” said Mike Strykiwsky, SaskPower’s manager of distribution assets. “Our Wood Pole Test and Treat Program can allow us to double the life expectancy of a pole. We want to keep the public and our employees safe, and this program helps us keep these poles standing up to some of the more extreme weather we have in Saskatchewan.”
Wood pole maintenance costs approximately $50 per pole on average, while replacement costs are $2,500 per pole on average. Without periodic maintenance efforts, the life expectancy of a wood power pole may be as short as 25 to 30 years. Through SaskPower’s maintenance program, that life expectancy can extend to more than 65 years.
Crews will stay within the SaskPower right-of-way as much as possible, however, workers may occasionally need access to private property. All workers will wear high-visibility clothing and contractor identification.
