Projects in the Sub-Arctic Canadian Shield, accessible only by airplane and barge, are always challenging—especially when you can’t plough fiber into solid rock, and aging overhead structures can’t support it either. Environmental permitting added another layer of complexity, requiring all work to be completed in winter. SaskPower implemented an innovative solution by laying fiber with an armored Teck jacket on the ground surface.

As of writing this the Teck armored fiber laid on the ground has given SaskPower 14 years of reliable service.

TeleControl Team

The TeleControl team collaborated with local staff to optimize the route through rugged forest terrain, shaving kilometers off the original design. From splicing in the back seat of a Ford Expedition to hiking through the forest dragging a kilometer of cable, the team improvised to get the job done with limited resources. In two shifts, our six-person team succeeded, replacing the obsolete power line carriers and migrating data traffic—including plant D20 RTUs, direct tripping, telephone, and corporate internet—onto the JMUX system.