The MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex says constituents are raising questions about the reliability of hydro after three major power outages over the past month alone.
Rick Nicholls says it's frustrating because rural customers pay some of the highest delivery charges in the province.
"What's in the delivery charges? They don't spell out those delivery charges, and many times the delivery charges far exceed the usage and the price that a resident or even business pays to have hydro electricity," says Nicholls.
He says his office has been fielding calls from residents in the Leamington and Wheatley areas, and even parts of Chatham, who are paying for a level of service they're not getting.
"The money that seems to be spent right now is to enhance the grid system, so that the power from industrial wind turbines can be drawn," says Nicholls. "We don't need that power and yet we're finding ourselves in blackouts. Totally unacceptable."
Nicholls says dated hydro infrastructure in the area doesn't help.
"There are a number of transformer stations that have been deemed in poor condition, with a high risk of failure, and other transformer stations that are of very high risk of failure," says Nicholls. "One has to question, when is the next blackout going to occur?"
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