What caused power outages in 2024?

We get a lot of questions from our customers on what causes the power outages they experience over the course of a year. There are many different factors that can lead to power outages. In 2024, for example, we saw over 320 motor vehicle accidents and 1,500 incidents of animals coming into contact with power equipment that impacted service to our customers. There were also nearly 200 requests from fire departments and other first responders to disconnect power for emergency situations like fires.

Read on to know more about some of the most common causes for outage in 2024...

Planned Outages

In 2024, our team planned and executed over 1,600 power outages in order for our field personnel to safely complete work to improve reliability of power for our customers. This can include upgrades or replacement of equipment, new customer connections, or preventative maintenance. While we make every effort to minimize impacts on our customers, sometimes we need to interrupt power service for our field personnel to safely make repairs or upgrade equipment.

Compared to four years ago, there were three times the number of planned outages in 2024 due to our increased investment in work related to improving reliability and storm hardening the power grid. Learn more about planned outages >

Trees on Lines 

Trees coming into contact with power equipment is the leading cause of power outages, causing the majority of power outages last year. Our power grid is made up of over 32,000 kilometres of power lines—the majority of which run along forested areas and tree lined roads. Each year, our vegetation management team identifies priority work areas throughout the province. Our annual investment in this work has increased from $25 million in 2021 to $45 million moving forward, so you will continue seeing crews widening rights-of-way and trimming trees away from powerlines in communities across the province. Learn more about our vegetation management program here >

Storms and Severe Weather

Our weather is changing and we’re experiencing more extreme weather more often. Look no further than the last five years where the average number of hours of wind gusts over 80 km an hour is up 33% from the five years before that including three hurricanes (Dorian, Fiona, and Lee) in that period. Severe weather and storms—including high winds, ice and heavy snow—accounted for over 1,000 power outages in 2024. The frequency of severe weather has increased in Nova Scotia and we’re continuing to make investments in reliability to reduce these interruptions. This includes things like installing stronger, taller power poles and even adding more protective devices and equipment that can minimize the impact of outages to our customers. Learn more about how we’re investing in reliability >

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents accounted for over 320 separate outage events—nearly one a day in 2024. These usually involve a vehicle hitting a power pole, requiring crews to repair or replace the pole and other electrical equipment on the pole that was damaged before restoring power.

Emergency Response

We work closely with first responders across the province to ensure their safety and the safety of our communities, especially when it comes to power and our equipment. In 2024, there were 187 incidents where our crews were asked by police or fire departments to cut power for emergencies related to public safety, like housefires, car accidents, and situations involving individuals in danger.

Animal Interference

Another major cause of power outages is animal activity. It is common for birds, squirrels, racoons, and other animals to cause damage to equipment that then leads to an outage. In 2024, over 1,500 power outages were caused by animal interference. To reduce the number of outages caused by animals, our crews and colleagues on our environment team work together to install equipment like protective coverings, diverters, or reflectors to protect and keep animals safe and away from power equipment.


We know that power outages are frustrating and inconvenient. Our team is committed to reducing outages through investments to the power grid to improve reliability. Our reliability plan includes increased tree trimming, grid modernization, and storm hardening through equipment replacements and upgrades. We’re investing $1.3 billion in reliability initiatives in the next five years, and we have a dedicated reliability team focused on executing that work. The team includes reliability advisors in each region of the province to engage and meet with customers stakeholders and elected officials.

If you have concerns or questions about your reliability or would like to request more information or a meeting in your community to talk about reliability, please reach out to reliability@nspower.ca.


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