Tractor collides with Manitoba Hydro tower, temporarily cutting capacity on major transmission lines

CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 11:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Manitoba Hydro is cautioning farmers astir operating instrumentality adjacent its infrastructure aft a tractor pulling a portion of instrumentality collided with a hydro operation this week, causing the Crown corp to suffer astir a 4th of its transmission capacity.

Two of Manitoba Hydro's 3 main transmission lines were astatine partial capableness since Tuesday, aft a workplace tractor pulling a portion of instrumentality knocked down a operation adjacent Grosse Isle successful the Interlake area.

"The towers are designed to withstand tenable forces, you know, precocious winds … snow, ice. But a ample portion of machinery banging into it, determination isn't overmuch that's going to withstand that," Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said successful an interrogation Friday.

Chura added portion determination was "significant nonaccomplishment successful transmission capacity, which is ne'er bully news," determination wasn't a large load connected the strategy astatine the clip — meaning customers were virtually unaffected contempt the nonaccomplishment of astir 1,400 megawatts of the system's highest transmission capableness of 6,100 megawatts.

He said portion that nonaccomplishment was connected the Bipole I line, that enactment besides carries vigor for the Bipole II enactment — some of which assistance present generating capableness from the Nelson River successful bluish Manitoba to confederate Manitoba.

Media relations serviceman Chura said if those lines had gone down successful the tallness of summertime oregon winter, erstwhile radical mostly usage much electricity, Hydro whitethorn person had to trust connected exigency sources of energy, including firing up the Brandon generating presumption oregon utilizing transmission lines to and from the United States.

Chura said crews person replaced the damaged high-voltage operation successful Manitoba's Interlake area, and the transmission lines were owed to spell backmost successful work Friday.

WATCH | Manitoba Hydro warns farmers aft operation damaged by tractor:

He added it was the 3rd clip successful the past fewer days wherever workplace instrumentality has damaged Hydro infrastructure, pursuing akin incidents that caused section powerfulness outages adjacent the confederate Manitoba assemblage of Oakville and the assemblage of Russell successful occidental Manitoba.

"Our main connection present is safety. Farmers request to beryllium precise cautious astir Hydro instrumentality due to the fact that it's perchance dangerous," Chura said, adding farmers utilizing nationalist roads should use to Hydro for a clearance licence to place harmless routes for moving gangly equipment.

"The hazard of electrocution is large successful these situations."

Damage to overhead powerfulness lines, poles and towers tin besides effect successful outages affecting work to hospital, constabulary and occurrence stations, which tin impact nationalist safety, helium said.

Chura said mostly speaking, erstwhile a farmer's machinery comes into interaction with Hydro equipment, the husbandman is liable for the outgo and typically has security to screen the damage.

Last year, workplace instrumentality made interaction with Hydro infrastructure 136 times, with cultivators and aerial seeders being the apical 2 culprits, Chura said. 

Adrien Sala, the provincial curate liable for Manitoba Hydro, said successful an emailed connection Friday the state appreciated however rapidly Hydro repaired the harm and said Hydro's "built successful reliability successful the strategy allowed them to power and rapidly code the contented with small interaction to customers."