Planned Outages

Planned Outages

Planned outages are sometimes 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 to 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.

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.

To select a date for a planned outage, we would look at several factors:

 

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.

Upcoming Planned Outages

 

LOCATIONSTART DATE - TIMEEND DATE - TIMEAFFECTED AREA(S)REASON
New GlasgowSunday, December 10th - 9:00 AMSunday, December 10th - 1:00 PM

Temperance Street/ Mountain Road/ Frasers Mountain Road/ and connecting side streets.

See map for details.

Replacing broken main line power pole on the corner of Mountain Road and Temperance Street.
CansoSaturday, December 2nd - 10:00 PMSunday, December 3rd - 2:00 AMCansoSystem upgrade work to the Middle Street substation in Canso.
Brenton Street/ Dresden Row/ Clyde Street/ South Park Street in HalifaxSunday, November 26th - 12:00 PMMonday, November 27th - 2:00 AMBrenton Street/ Dresden Row/ Clyde Street/ South Park StreetReplacing damaged underground transformer bank on Brenton Street. 14 hours.

New Minas and Hillaton substations

*Cancelled due to cold weather*

Saturday, November 25th - 11:00 PMSunday, November 26th - 8:00 AM

Communities of Arlington/ Atlanta/ Baxters Harbour/ Billtown/ Blomidon/ Brow of the Mountain/ Canning/ Centerville/ Delhaven/ Greenwich/ Habitant/ Halls Harbour/ Hillaton/ Huntington Point/ Kingsport/ Lakeville/ Look Off/ Lower Canard/ Medford/ New Minas/ Pereaux/ Port Williams/ Scots Bay/ Sheffield Mills/ Steam Mill/ Upper Canard/ Upper Dyke/ Wolfville/ and Woodside

Urgent replacement of 2 structures at the New Minas and Hillaton substations to improve network reliability.
East Green Harbour and Lockeport SubstationsFriday, November 24th - 3:00 AMFriday, November 24th - 3:05 AM

Communities of Allendale/ East and West Green Harbour/ East Jordan/ East Ragged Island/ Sable River and East Sable River/ Jordan Falls and East Jordan/ Little Harbour/ Lockeport/ Louis Head/ Lydgate/ Osbourne Harbour/ Point L'Hebert

See map for details.

5-minute outage to isolate a piece of equipment for maintenance.
Amherst/ Tidnish/ Northport/ Port Howe/ Amherst Head/ Brookdale/ Upper NappanNovember 18th, 2023 - 7:00 AMNovember 18th, 2023 - 7:05 AM

Communities of Amherst/ Amherst Head/ East and West Amherst/ Tidnish/ Tidnish Bridge/ Lorneville/ Northport/ Linden/ Port Howe/ Riverview/ Trumanville/ Brookdale/ Upper Nappan

See map for details.

Required maintenance to the main transmission line from the New Brunswick border to Amherst to help improve reliability.

Switching line back to normal state as a preventative measure due to pending weather.  Outage duration approximately 5 minutes.

New Minas and Hillaton substations

*Cancelled due to weather forecast*

November 18th, 2023 - 11:00 PMNovember 19th, 2023 - 8:00 AMCommunities of Arlington/ Atlanta/ Baxters Harbour/ Billtown/ Blomidon/ Brow of the Mountain/ Canning/ Centerville/ Delhaven/ Greenwich/ Habitant/ Halls Harbour/ Hillaton/ Huntington Point/ Kingsport/ Lakeville/ Look Off/ Lower Canard/ Medford/ New Minas/ Pereaux/ Port Williams/ Scots Bay/ Sheffield Mills/ Steam Mill/ Upper Canard/ Upper Dyke/ Wolfville/ and Woodside.Replacing 2 structures at the New Minas and Hillaton substations to improve network reliability.
Rodney Road, DartmouthNovember 16th, 2023 - 1:00 PMNovember 16th, 2023 - 4:00 PMRodney Road/ Hastings Drive/ Johnstone Avenue/ Harvey Street/ Dustan Street/ Blink Bonnie Terrace/ Cameron Street/ Scott Street/ Prince Arthur Drive/ McNeil Street/ Blackberry Lane/ Harvey Street/ and Pleasant Street.Electrical load balancing to improve reliability.  1 hour outage sometime between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
Highwood Street, DartmouthNovember 16th, 2023 - 9:00 AMNovember 16th, 2023 - 1:00 PMHighwood Street/ Murray Hills Drive/ Maynard Street/ Summit Street/ View Street/ Wyndholme Avenue/ Canterbury Street/ Connor Street, Canterbury Place/ Camden Street/ Sunny Brae Avenue/ Portland StreetElectrical load balancing to improve reliability. 1 hour outage sometime between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
Glenwood Avenue, DartmouthNovember 16th, 2023 - 9:00 AMNovember 16th, 2023 - 1:00 PMGlenwood Avenue, DartmouthElectrical load balancing to improve reliability.  2.5 hour outage sometime between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Amherst/ Tidnish/ Northport/ Port Howe/ Amherst Head/ Brookdale/ Upper NappanNovember 12th, 2023 - 6:00 AMNovember 12th, 2023 - 6:15 AM

Communities of Amherst/ Amherst Head/ East and West Amherst/ Tidnish/ Tidnish Bridge/ Lorneville/ Northport/ Linden/ Port Howe/ Riverview/ Trumanville/ Brookdale/ Upper Nappan

See map for details.

Required maintenance to the main transmission line from the New Brunswick border to Amherst to help improve reliability.
 Water Street, PictouNovember 5th, 2023 - 6:00 AMNovember 5th, 2023 - 10:00 AM

Water Street/ Front Street/ Caladh Avenue/ Faulkland Street/ Coleraine Street/ Willow Street and connecting side streets.

See map for details.

Replacing damaged mainline power pole on Water Street in Pictou.
Church Street and side streets, WestvilleNovember 2nd, 2023 - 9:00 AMNovember 2nd, 2023 - 12:00 PMChurch Street/ North Street/ Greenwood Street/ South Main Street/ Irving Street/ Waddens Court/ Poplar Street/ Elmwood Street/ and Prince Albert StreetRepairs to overhead equipment on Church Street.
Kingston and Greenwood areasNovember 2nd, 2023 - 12:00 AMNovember 2nd, 2023 - 12:15 AM

Communities of Aylesford/ Auburn/ East Tremont/ Greenwood/ Greenwood Square/ Harmony/ Kingston/ Meadowvale/ Melvern Square/ Millville/ Morden/ Nicholsville/ South Farmington/ Torbrook/ Tremont/ Wilmont/ and Wilmot Station

See map #1 for details. See map #2 for details.

Affecting repairs to substations.

 

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