Planned Outages

Planned Outages

Planned outages are necessary to conduct work that ensures our electrical system remains safe and reliable for our customers. These outages create safe work environments for our crews while they are working on our power system to do emergency repairs, system upgrades, maintenance, and other work on our electrical equipment.

There are three types of planned outages:

  1. Scheduled: This is an outage that we are aware of in advance, where crews will be scheduled to safely complete the work to improve reliability in the area. Example: A pole that needs to be replaced to ensure a reliable and efficient system.
  2. Urgent: This is an outage that needs to happen quickly to make necessary repairs safely, but it’s not an emergency. The outage can be identified and delayed until it’s less disruptive to customers. Example: Equipment with wear and tear that could fail if not replaced soon.
  3. Emergency: This is an outage that needs to happen right away to safely make emergency repairs, likely within the hour. Example: A broken pole caused by a vehicle accident.

We do everything we can to minimize the number of customers impacted by a planned outage. We also aim to inform customers of a planned outage 24–48 hours in advance with an automated phone message. To do this, it’s very important we have your up-to-date contact information to ensure you receive the planned outage notification.

If you have a new phone number, please call Customer Care at 1-800-428-6230 to update your account or fill out this online form.

Upcoming Planned Outages

 

LOCATIONSTART DATE & TIMEEND DATE & TIMEAFFECTED AREASREASON
Bridgewater and surrounding communitiesFriday, December 20 at 4 AMFriday, December 20th at 4:15 AM

Auburndale, New Germany, Bridgewater, Pleasantville, Conquerall Bank, Conquerall Mills, Hebbville, and neighbouring communities

See map here >

Maintenance and repairs for reliability improvement to the Bridgewater substation
CansoWednesday, December 18 at 9:30 AMWednesday, December 18 at 3:30 PM

Union Street, Telegraph Street, Queen Street, and connecting side streets

See map here >

Replacing mainline power pole near the intersection of Telegraph Street and Union Street
Darlings Lake and surrounding communitiesSaturday, December 14 at 8 AMSaturday, December 14 at 10 AM

Beaver River, Cedar Lake, Port Maitland, Darlings Lake, Wellington, and neighbouring communities

See map here >

Replacing mainline power pole on Highway 1
Mount UniackeWednesday, December 11 at 10:30 PMWednesday, December 11 at 10:40 PM

Mount Uniacke, East Uniacke, South Uniacke

See map here >

System reliability work following damage caused by a motor vehicle accident
D'Escousse and surrounding communitiesWednesday, December 11 at 9 AMWednesday, December 11 at 12 PM

D'Escousse, Cap La Ronde, Poirierville, Poulamon, Rocky Bay

See map here >

System upgrades on Highway 320
Truro, Bible Hill, Greenfield, Salmon River, ValleySunday, December 8 at 11 PMSunday, December 8 at 11:30 PM

Truro, Bible Hill, Greenfield, Salmon River, Valley

See map here >

Completion of system improvements to the main power line
Truro, Bible Hill, Greenfield, Salmon River, ValleySunday, December 8 at 3 PMSunday, December 8 at 3:30 PM

Truro, Bible Hill, Greenfield, Salmon River, Valley

See map here >

Completion of system improvements to the main power line
Lunenburg areaSaturday, December 7 at 11 PMSunday, December 8 at 7 AM

Lunenburg, LaHave, Riverport, Rose Bay, Mahone Bay, and surrounding areas

See map here >

Reliability improvements and maintenance to the Martins Brook substation


Why We Plan Outages

We plan outages so we can safely conduct work to ensure our electrical system remains safe and reliable for our customers. A lot of the work we do on the power system can be done without a planned outage, but in some cases the only way to complete the work safely for our crews is with the power turned off. 

Planned outages are typically scheduled in advance so crews can work safely on our system. The work may include emergency repairs, system upgrades, maintenance, and other work on our electrical equipment.

A lot of the work we do to maintain and upgrade the power system can be done without a planned outage. However, in some cases, the only way to complete the work safely for our crews is by temporarily disconnecting power to a section of the powerline, which usually means an outage for some customers.

By doing this kind of planned work, our crews can help prevent a potential unplanned outage from occurring that can often be longer and more disruptive to our customers.

How we plan outages

We take a variety of factors into consideration when scheduling a date or time for planned outages. This includes safety of the public and our crews, weather conditions, availability of specialized crews and equipment, community events, and the impact to critical infrastructure and services. We try our best to find a time when it’s least disruptive to our customers.

Safety

Safety is our top priority. We need to ensure the work is done as safely as possible for our customers and crews.

Schools

If an outage may affect a school, we try to ensure the work is completed when school is out or closed.

Weather

Some work can’t be done safely in certain weather conditions. That’s why planned outages can sometimes be cancelled at the last minute.

Traffic Management

Some work may cause disruptions to traffic. We may need to work with municipal officials to coordinate the best course of action.

Crew Availability

Some work requires specialized crews and equipment. If this is the case, we must schedule work around their availability.

Community Events

If there is a community event or celebration scheduled, we'll try to find another day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a planned outage and emergency outage?

Most planned outages are scheduled well in advance. Crews will be scheduled to do the work on a specific day and time. This type of planned outage is necessary to safely improve reliability in the area. An example would be a pole that needs to be replaced to prevent an unplanned outage from occurring in the future

Some outages are required to make emergency repairs. This type of outage needs to happen right away, likely within the hour, for the safety of crews, customers and the electrical system. An example would be a broken pole cause by a vehicle accident.

Why do we schedule planned outages?

To ensure our electrical system remains safe and reliable for our customers, it requires regular maintenance, and planned outages are typically scheduled in advance so we can work safely on our system. The work may include emergency repairs, system upgrades, maintenance and other work on our electrical equipment.

To do this work safely, we must temporarily disconnect power to a section of the powerline, which usually means an outage for some customers.

By doing this kind of planned work, our crews can help prevent a potential unplanned outage that can often be longer and more disruptive to our customers.

When do we do planned outages?

We take a variety of factors into consideration when scheduling a date or time for planned outages. This includes safety of the public and our crews, weather conditions, availability of specialized crews and equipment, community events, and the impact to critical infrastructure and services. We try our best to find a time when it’s less disruptive for our customers.

How do we notify customers of planned outages?

We aim to inform customers of a planned outage 24 to 48 hours in advance—in some cases, a week in advance—with an automated phone message. To do this, it’s very important we have your up-to-date contact information to ensure you receive the planned outage notification. If you have a new phone number, please call Customer Care at 1-800-428-6230 to update your account or fill out this online form.

We also list impactful planned outages (long outages or those in busy areas) on our website and sometimes post them on our Twitter channel, if necessary, based on outage size and duration.

If an emergency repair is needed immediately, we may not be able to provide notice. Once the outage begins, it will appear on the outage map with the reason for the interruption and the estimated time of restoration.

Why can’t you plan outages at night or on weekends?

Most of the work must be done during daylight hours to keep our customers and crews safe. By doing this kind of planned work, our crews can help prevent a potential unplanned outage that can often be longer and more disruptive to our customers.

Why do you cancel planned outages?

We work to keep the scheduled date of a planned outage in place, but cancellations can occur due to adverse weather conditions or crew constraints if emergencies occur.


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More about how we maintain our system