Oshawa Power has announced that 2024 marked the best reliability on record in delivering electricity supply to homes and businesses across Oshawa.
With a 99.99 per cent reliability score, Oshawa Power customers experienced 83 per cent less downtime than the average Ontario household, according to the utility’s latest Reliability Report.
In 2024, Oshawa Power responded to 413 outages, including both planned and unplanned events. Of these, 88 were momentary outages, which the utility attributes to grid automation that isolates issues and minimizes sustained disruptions.
The leading cause of outages was foreign interference, including wildlife contact and motor vehicle accidents, accounting for 32 per cent of cases.
Key Highlights
- Reliability Score: Oshawa Power achieved a 99.99% reliability score, meeting the industry’s “golden standard.”
- Average Downtime: Customers experienced an average of 19 minutes of downtime throughout the year, significantly lower than Ontario’s provincial average.
- Outage Frequency: Most homes and businesses had zero outages, with an average of 0.28 outages per customer.
- Outage Response Time: Crews responded to outages in 34 minutes on average, ensuring quick restoration when issues occurred.
Proactive Investments in Grid Modernization
Oshawa Power’s investments in grid modernization have contributed to improved reliability. The company reports that 40 per cent of Oshawa’s grid is now integrated into the SmartGrid, enabling automated responses to outages and faster restoration times.
Additionally, ongoing infrastructure upgrades and efforts to mitigate outages caused by wildlife and trees have helped strengthen the grid’s resilience.
For comparison, the Ontario average for outage minutes per customer has been over 100 minutes in recent years. Oshawa Power’s 19-minute average reflects the company’s ability to deliver reliability that exceeds provincial norms.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Oshawa Power plans to continue improving service as part of its five-year strategy. Key initiatives for 2025 include:
- Completion of a three-year vegetation management plan
- Continued infrastructure upgrades to further reduce outages and maintain high reliability