We will look at a variety of factors. Safety, weather conditions, availability of specialized crews and equipment, community events, and the impact to critical infrastructure and services are all taken into consideration when we select a date.
Planned Outages
Why we plan outages
Our electrical system requires regular maintenance to ensure it is safe and operating efficiently.
Planned outages are typically scheduled in advance so that we can work safely on our system. The work may include emergency repairs, system upgrades, maintenance, and other infrastructure-related work such as pole replacements.
To do this work safely, power lines must be de-energized, which usually means an outage for some customers.
By planning an outage and coordinating the necessary work, our crews can help prevent a potential unplanned outage that can often be longer and more disruptive.
How we plan outages
Scheduling outages provides our customers with advance notice of the impacts so you can prepare to be without power.
To select a date for a planned outage, we would look at several factors:
Safety
- Safety is always our top priority. We need to ensure the work is done as safely as possible for our customers and crews.
Weather
- Some work can’t be done in certain weather conditions. That’s why outages can be sometimes be cancelled at the last minute.
Schools
- If an outage may affect a school, we try to ensure the work is completed when school is not in session.
Community Events
- If there is a community event or celebration scheduled, we'll try to find another day.
Traffic Management
- Some work may cause disruptions to traffic. We may need to work with municipal officials to coordinate the best solution.
Availability of Crews
- Some work requires specialized crews and equipment. If this is the case, we must schedule work around their availability
Upcoming Planned Outages
Area: Dunmore/ Frasers Mills
Date: February 25th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 11 AM
Streets affected: Dunmore Rd, South River Rd, West Side South River Rd, Frasers Mills Rd, Old Pinevale Rd
Reason: System upgrade to support Aliant High-speed project in area
Area: Dunmore/ St. Andrews
Date: February 25th, 2021
Start time: 1 PM
End time: 3 PM
Streets affected: Dunmore Rd, Pinevale Rd, West Side South River Rd, Frasers Mills Rd
Reason: System upgrade to support Aliant High-speed project in area
Area: Louisbourg
Date: February 25th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 1 PM
Streets affected: Main-A-Dieu Rd, West Shore Rd
Reason: System upgrade
Area: Onslow
Date: February 26th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 4 PM
Streets affected: Highway 2
Reason: 2-hour interruption sometime between 9am-4pm to complete equipment upgrade
Area: Arichat, D'Escousse area
Date: February 26th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 4 PM
Streets affected: Lochside Rd, Rocky Bay Rd, Pondville Beach Rd
Reason: 30-minutes interruptions sometime between 9am-4pm to complete system maintenance
Area: Harmony
Date: February 26th, 2021
Start time: 10 AM
End time: 1 PM
Streets affected: Harmony Ridge Rd
Reason: System upgrade
Area: Heatherton
Date: February 26th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 1 PM
Streets affected: Frasers Grant Rd, New France Rd, Glassburn Rd, Heatherton Guys Rd, Black Avon rd, Devison Ln, Meadowgreen Rd, Bailey Rd, Old Guysborough Rd
Reason: Pole replacement
Area: Haliafx
Date: February 26th, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 2 PM
Streets affected: Chelmsford Place
Reason: 4-hour interruption sometime between 9am-2pm to upgrade equipment
Area: Middle River
Date: February 27th, 2021
Start time: 10 AM
End time: 2 PM
Streets affected: Cabot Trail, West Middle River Rd, Aulds Rd, Dannie Neils Ln, Church Cross Loop, Goldbrook Rd, Maclennans Cross Rd, West Rd, 5416 Rd, Yankee Line Rd, Upper Westside Rd, Macintyre Rd, Bills Mountain Rd
Reason: System upgrade
Area: Malagash
Date: March 1st, 2021
Start time: 9 AM
End time: 4 PM
Streets affected: Blue Sea Rd
Reason: 2-hour interruption sometime between 9am-4pm to complete equipment upgrades
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of the work must be performed during daylight hours to keep our customers and crews safe. By planning an outage and coordinating the necessary work, we may prevent a potential unplanned outage that can often be longer and more disruptive.
We aim to inform customers of a planned outage 24-48 hours in advance with an automated phone message. We also list planned outages on our website.
If an emergency repair is urgently needed, we may be unable to provide notice. Once the outage occurs, it will appear on the outage map with the reason for the interruption and the estimated time of restoration.
Its important that we have your up to date contact information. If you have a new phone number, please call Customer Care at 1-800-428-6230 to update your account.
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.
We will notify you of a cancelled outage by phone and also update our website.