Lights back on in Iqaluit

A power outage that shut down Iqaluit for most of the day Aug. 29 appears to be over.

Qulliq Energy Corp. crews turned the power back on shortly after 8:30 p.m. Electricity had been scheduled to off for most of the city until 10 p.m. as part of rolling blackouts the utility was using to cope with two generators that were out of service.

But QEC spokeswoman Meghan McRae said replacement parts for a generator that down for maintenance arrived this afternoon.

“Everyone should have power right now,” she said.

But QEC is urging customers to continue conserving power until technicians are sure the functioning generators can handle the load.

The Iqaluit power plant’s main generator is still out of service, but three other generators should be able to meet the 7.5 megawatts worth of power the city needs at peak times.

More to follow