GREAT FALLS — NorthWestern Energy will conduct a power outage at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, December 23, affecting NorthWestern Energy electric customers along the Hi-Line from the Havre area east to Glasgow, including customers in Big Sandy, Box Elder, Chinook, Dodson, Fort Belknap, Harlem, Hinsdale, Lohman, Malta, Nashua, Saco, Savoy, St. Marie, Wagner and Zurich.
The agency said in a news release that the power outage is expected to last approximately one hour.
Last week, severe winds damaged the transmission powerline serving NorthWestern Energy customers along the Hi‑Line.
To maintain service, NorthWestern Energy connected to a transmission line with the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) that included energy source feeds from Fort Peck Hydro Generation and the Eastern Interconnection until repairs to the normal source could be completed. Transmission powerlines deliver power to the substations and distribution powerlines that serve customers.
Crews completed repairs to the 75-foot-tall powerline structure. With repairs finished, NorthWestern Energy must reconnect customers to normal transmission powerline configurations.
NorthWestern Energy is coordinating with critical services and local officials in Hill, Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties to minimize impacts during the planned outage.
