SaskPower is investing money to make Downtown Regina’s grid more reliable.

This year, the crown cooperation is investing $8.5 million to increase system reliability in Regina’s central business district.

This year’s priority is to replace equipment at or near the end of its operational life, including underground cables, switches, and duct banks.

Scott McGregor, a spokesperson with SaskPower, said that residents would hopefully see fewer power outages once the work is completed.

“Customers in the downtown area and in the immediate surrounding area should see increased reliability and fewer outages,” he said. “One of the benefits of the work that we are doing this summer is we are really utilizing a lot of smart technology; if an outage does occur, we will be able to identify where the outage happened much quicker.”

Since 2012, SaskPower has invested over $52 million towards improving electrical system reliability in downtown Regina.

McGregor said that a lot of the infrastructure is in needs to be renewed, repaired, and rejuvenated.

“One of the biggest issues with some of the infrastructure downtown is it’s just a matter of the age,” he said. “A lot of the equipment that we are replacing has just come to the end of its operational life, so it’s just time to be replaced. With renewed infrastructure and new equipment, it kind of ensures that the aging factor doesn’t play into any outages that might happen.”

Some of the work will require short, planned outages and traffic restrictions.

McGregor adds that people should check the City of Regina’s website for any traffic restrictions and SaskPower’s website for any planned outages.

He noted any necessary power outages or traffic restrictions will be communicated to the public in advance.