UPDATE December 31, 2022, 12:30 PM:
Trans Canada Energy which supplies the natural gas to GC had an automated pressure control valve which malfunctioned and went into close mode. The plant in Grande Cache is unmanned and Trans Canada was able to get crews to location approximately 2.5 hours later. The crews were able to bypass the faulty control valve to get product back in the supply line. The plant is now being manned 24/7 until they are able to rectify the problem and run diagnostics to see why the valve malfunctioned.  According to Trans Canada there is no further risk at this point of the supply being cut off.

Apex Utilities (Altagas) is the distributor for GC. They have only 2 employees in GC but have brought in 5 more employees from Westlock. The Greenview Fire Rescue Services #33 Grande Cache crews and Apex broke into crews of 2 and began the process of going door to door ensuring residents were able to successfully relight their furnaces and hot water tanks. Crews are continuing to go door to door ensuring everyone has heat.

We want to thank our Grande Cache volunteer Fire-Rescue crew and Apex employees for their hard work in the community during the outage.

UPDATE December 30, 2022, 8:29 PM:

Apex Utilities has reported that the gas supply has been restored, and customers should start to see service returning. Apex is still working to fully address the issue, but should be able to maintain service while the problem is fixed. 

Apex technicians will be contacting customers directly to help with appliance relights. Please note that you may get a knock on the door late into this evening to ensure that your heat is on and working. Please continue to conserve use while Apex works to fully resolve the issue and stay safe. If you need immediate assistance, please call the Apex emergency line at 1-866-222-2068.

December 30, 2022, 7:45 PM: We have been informed that the natural gas supply to the community of Grande Cache has been temporarily disrupted. Customers in the area may see an interruption to the natural gas supply to their homes or businesses.

Apex Utilities is working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue and hopes to restore service shortly. Once service is restored, technicians from Apex will contact customers to ensure their natural gas heat appliances are working. As Apex works to restore service, we appreciate your patience. If you need immediate assistance, please call the Apex emergency line at 1-866-222-2068.

Please use extreme caution if you use space heaters in your home tonight. Please ensure that your speace heater has proper safety features, and do not use extension cords and power strips to plug them in. Place your space heater out of harms way and keep them at least three feet away from anything combustible of flammable, such as curtains, rugs, beds, and clothes. Also avoid placing space heaters on carpets or high-traffic areas that may become tripping hazards. Learn more tips here: https://mdgreenview.ab.ca/safe-use-of-space-heaters…/

We will update this post as soon as we get more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.