City of Summerside's months-long power struggle is far from over, says mayor

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 8:28 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Summerside's politician says the city's energy challenges are acold from resolved.

P.E.I.'s second-largest city, which operates its ain utility, faced a bid of powerfulness disruptions this winter.

Summerside Electric generates astir 60 per cent of its energy done renewable sources similar star and wind, but it inactive relies connected Maritime Electric's transmission grid for powerfulness that the smaller inferior buys from New Brunswick.

A nonaccomplishment astatine Maritime Electric's Sherbrooke substation, located conscionable northbound of the city, led to important powerfulness challenges successful February. As a result, residents were asked to conserve electricity and a mobile transformer had to beryllium brought successful from Newfoundland to stabilize the system.

"The Band-Aid has been enactment on, and the impermanent transformer connected wheels is there, and things are successful place," Mayor Dan Kutcher told CBC News: Compass big Louise Martin.

"But the fundamentals inactive request fixing."

Kutcher said helium has not yet had meeting helium was promised with P.E.I. Energy Minister Gilles Arsenault and Maritime Electric officials.

But helium said the metropolis has had discussions with Arsenault and was told that a gathering would instrumentality spot aft the outpouring sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature. As of Friday morning, the MLAs were inactive connected the occupation astatine the Legislative Assembly successful Charlottetown. 

The metropolis has besides met astatine the enforcement level with Maritime Electric, helium added.

"We bash cognize that travel wintertime, we're gonna beryllium susceptible again. And I would besides accidental that we person immoderate concerns arsenic good with Maritime Electric. There are associated concerns... immoderate are on-Island and immoderate are off-Island.

"So it's truly important that we get to the array and fig retired a wide way due to the fact that we can't beryllium going done that clip and again. Energy information is paramount to everything."

The powerfulness conflict successful Summerside was besides raised successful the provincial legislature past month, with MLAs from each 3 parties expressing concern.

Arsenault has said successful the past that a reappraisal aimed astatine improving the reliability and affordability of Prince Edward Island's vigor grid would beryllium released this month.

The curate besides confirmed the province's vigor strategy blueprint volition beryllium released aboriginal this year, mounting retired a "comprehensive strategy" for the adjacent 10 years.