Sean LaCour

Have you ever wondered how a country's electricity system is restored after a devastating hurricane?

Speaking of Engineering
February 7, 2018

[View Lecture Poster]

On Sept. 8, 2017 Hurricane Irma caused much destruction to the tiny country Turks and Caicos Islands in the eastern Caribbean. The country's electricity system is operated by Fortis TCI and it received extensive damage. The Fortis response team, which included employees and contract personnel from Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, rebuilt kilometres of power lines and were able to restore power to the entire country within 60 days.

Sean LaCour, director of operations, Newfoundland Power, has nearly 35 years of experience working in the electrical utility business. He helped lead the Fortis team in Turks and Caicos. Join LaCour as he describes their mission and the challenges they faced as they worked to restore power to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mr. LaCour graduated from Memorial University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He has worked his entire career with Newfoundland Power in various engineering and management positions. He is currently director of operations with responsibility for leading system operations, generation and electrical maintenance groups and safety and environment management. He is a member of the Profession Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL), past chair of PEGNL's board of directors and a Fellow of Engineer's Canada.

Speaking of Engineering is hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University and the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador.

A full-length recording of the lecture can be viewed below.