The installation of new underground power lines in parts of Regina and Saskatoon will help cut down on power outages, SaskPower says.

The $5.5 million project will see 14 kilometres of aging power lines replaced with new cables in parts of eight Regina and Saskatoon neighbourhoods.

“About a third of all power outages in Saskatchewan are due to equipment failure, including ones caused by aging infrastructure. These cables are decades old and have simply reached the end of their useful lives,” Shawn Schmidt, SaskPower’s vice-president of distribution and customer service, said in a news release.

“This work will help reduce the number of power outages caused by underground cable faults that some of our customers in these areas have been seeing.”

This cable replacement will mean power outages for some residents, but SaskPower will notify everyone affected by a note in their mailbox or a visit from a worker.

Work is underway in the Saskatoon areas of Lawson Heights, Silverwood, Fairhaven and Parkridge, and in the Regina areas of University Park and Sherwood Estates.

In the coming weeks, work will also happen in Saskatoon’s East College Park neighbourhood and Regina’s Glencairn Village.

SaskPower plans to replace more underground cable in both cities next year.