RCMP investigate after electric substation shot at, causing oil leak and power outage

An investigation is underway after an electricity substation near the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary was shot at Monday, spilling oil and leaving thousands in the dark.

RCMP say they responded to a firearms call at an ATCO substation in Lloydminster, a town straddling the provincial boundary.

They say the facility was shot at and a bullet hit an oil tank around 4:50 a.m., knocking out power to more than 8,400 residents for almost five hours and releasing roughly 20,000 litres of oil.

Amanda Mattern, vice-president of operations for ATCO Electric, confirmed to CityNews in a statement that power had been restored to customers by 9:45 a.m.

Preliminary estimates place the cost of damage and environmental cleanup at about $1.1 million.

Police are also investigating several break-ins that took place during the outage but say there’s no evidence to suggest a connection.

Mattern says the company has partnered with an environmental management company to address and mitigate any impacts.

“We continue to work closely with the local RCMP and with Ambipar to mitigate any potential environmental impacts that may have been caused by the incident,” said Mattern in a statement.

“Safety, environmental responsibility, and the reliable restoration of service have been our top priorities, and we wish to thank our customers for their patience and understanding yesterday.”