Frequently asked questions

Call 911 when you feel the situation threatens public security or someone’s personal safety. The appropriate authorities and Hydro-Québec will be notified at the same time and assistance will be dispatched.

These are the most frequent situations in which it is best to call 911:

• Broken power lines
• Power lines within reaching distance
• Transformer or pole on fire
• Traffic accident

NEVER APPROACH A POWER LINE — ALWAYS ASSUME IT’S LIVE. IT’S A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!

Call customer services when you notice our equipment appears to be hazardous or damaged.

To reach us:

• Montréal: 514 385-7252
• Elsewhere: 1 888 385-7252

Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The information you provide is important. It lets us fix problems—say, a pole that looks like it’s about to fall down.

You can also call us to prevent a problem if, for example, you notice tree branches touching power lines.

• Report a potential hazard involving vegetation near power lines

Your area may not be slated for maintenance or field inspections soon, so that is why it’s important to let us know.

No. When you call 1 800 790-2424 and give your service address, if the outage has already been reported, the system will tell you when you can expect your service to be restored.

You will be given the option of speaking to a representative if you want to provide additional information.

If a situation poses a threat to personal safety or public security (such as a pole fire or lines down), call 911 right away.

Never touch or try to move a power line, even with a stick or other object. Keep at least ten metres away from the power line and call 911.

Always assume that the lines are live and always stay at least ten metres away. If you see that a line is down, call 911 right away.

No, under no circumstances. Only people accredited by Hydro-Québec are authorized to carry out work on the Hydro-Québec system or on your meter.

No. When you call 1 800 790-2424 and give your service address, if the outage has already been reported, the system will tell you when you can expect your service to be restored.

You will be given the option of speaking to a representative if you want to provide additional information.

If a situation poses a threat to personal safety or public security (such as a pole fire or lines down), call 911 right away.

A power outage is unplanned. A planned service interruption is intentionally scheduled for a set period of time to ensure both worker and public safety and to enable system maintenance or respond to a specific customer need (renovation, building construction, maintenance, etc.).

In order to keep service interruptions as short as possible, Hydro-Québec plans all work very carefully. Whenever possible, we use live-line methods to avoid inconveniencing customers.

Customers are notified in advance of such interruptions so they can make the necessary arrangements. We use an automated telephone system. If we can’t reach you on the first call, we’ll call back several times. If you have voice mail, we’ll leave a message with the date, time and duration of the interruption.
Votre numéro de téléphone est-il à jour ? Avant de couper le courant pour entretenir le réseau, nous vous appelons. Vous devez toutefois vous assurez que votre numéro de téléphone soit à jour dans votre Espace client.

There are a number of possible explanations.

The system may have been overloaded because many appliances were on when the power went out and they were left on during the outage. Or, even if repairs have been completed, it’s possible that an equipment outage somewhere else on the grid led to a loss of power on your line. It’s also possible that a repaired line segment needed to be de-energized so another section of the line could be repaired safely.

In the case of a major outage, a gradual service restoration may be necessary in order to avoid overloading the grid, which could cause equipment failure and lead to longer outages.

During an outage or planned service interruption, Hydro‑Québec may have to voluntarily extend the interruption at certain addresses. That’s why electricity service may be restored in some homes in your neighborhood before yours. The process is called gradual service restoration.

Gradual service restoration involves extending the interruption at certain addresses following an outage or planned service interruption. Restoration times vary from one address to another. This process enables Hydro‑Québec to bring its equipment back online gradually, preventing protection mechanism tripping and equipment failures on the grid. The aim is to avoid secondary outages that could affect even more households.

Is your home affected by the gradual service restoration process? Check the outages map to track the service status at your address and find out when service is expected to be restored.

At the addresses affected by a gradual service restoration process, the interruption may be extended by 30 minutes to 5 hours. This is in addition to the duration of the outage.

Before each winter, Hydro‑Québec identifies the transformers at risk of overloading when service is restored after a long‑term outage. Each of these transformers serves several addresses that may be affected by a gradual service restoration process between November and April. To initiate the process, the outages must:

• Occur when the power grid is under significant pressure
• Last at least 8 hours
• Involve an area where the grid is particularly vulnerable

Yes. Despite Hydro‑Québec’s efforts to limit the number of times an address is affected by the gradual service restoration process, a household may be impacted more than once during the winter.

From the onset of an outage that meets the criteria for the gradual service restoration process to be initiated, Hydro‑Québec establishes a restoration plan. The addresses affected by the process are quickly identified, and a restoration time is estimated for each one.

You will be notified by email if your address is affected by the gradual service restoration process. In order to receive the information, make sure your contact information is up to date in your Customer Space.

You can also obtain the information by:

• Tracking the service status at your address on the outages map
• Contacting customer services

Bad weather is the most frequent cause of power outages. Storms, snow, freezing rain and winds are some of the main causes.

Violent summer storms sometimes come up quickly and unexpectedly. They can seriously damage the power system and even cause outages.

Occasionally, outages may be caused by animals in contact with our installations, car accidents that damage our equipment, and other factors, often resulting from human activities.

Today, the effects of climate change are being felt more often and more intensely. They are among the causes of power outages on our system.

Each year, Hydro‑Québec invests in projects with a view to preventing outages and reducing their duration. Here is an overview of our initiatives.

• Vegetation control
  We have an ongoing program of preventive tree pruning above and near power lines.
• System maintenance
  In recent years, we have significantly reinforced the power system to make it less sensitive to weather conditions.
• We have a rigorous line and equipment inspection and maintenance program designed to ensure the system is reliable year-round.
• Preventive mechanisms
  Special equipment is being developed to prevent outages caused by animals and birds coming into contact with power lines.
• Technological innovation
  Each year, we install more automated equipment on the distribution system so that we can perform operations remotely. This way, we can avoid having to dispatch crews and thus reduce the duration of power outages.
• In addition, with next-generation meters, Hydro-Québec is better informed of outages on the grid. In the case of a major outage, we can carry out a gradual service restoration in the affected areas in order to avoid overloading the grid, which could cause damage to equipment and result in longer outages.
• Lightning protection
  Surge arresters on the power system limit lightning damage.

A crew sometimes has to wait for instructions from the operating centre before it is safe for them to start work. Or sometimes its work has to be coordinated with that of other crews.

The crew may have had to check or repair equipment farther up or down the line, or it may have been called to an emergency, such as downed lines.

Although we make every effort to restore power as quickly as possible, it can sometimes be difficult to know the exact time when power will return. The times reported are estimates that can vary for the following reasons:

1. They are initially calculated based on the average restoration time for similar outages.
2. Once the cause of the outage is established, service restoration times are adjusted based on our crews’ work progress.
3. For major outages (caused by adverse weather conditions affecting several regions in Québec), we cannot estimate restoration times for the following reasons:
   • The unpredictable nature of weather conditions can cause more outages in a short timeframe. For example, in 30 minutes, the number of outages can go from 10 to 50.
   • The time required to evaluate and resolve the outage.
   • When fieldwork crews are redispatched to another location, service restoration estimates can be affected. For example, crews working on residential outages (private homes) can be moved to large-scale emergency outages affecting basic public services, such as hospitals or pumping stations.

   In such circumstances, we remove the service restoration estimate until we have a better evaluation of the situation.

If you are using our mobile app, you can sign up for alerts. This way, you will be informed if the anticipated service restoration time changes, and when service is restored. Terms of use for Hydro-Québec’s mobile application

No. You should contact a private supplier or, in an emergency, your municipality. Hydro-Québec may occasionally use industrial generators for the needs of the power system to speed up service restoration.

No. But since you don’t use any electricity during an outage, no consumption will be charged for that period.