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
Church Street, Port WilliamsJune 5th, 2023 - 10:00 AMJune 5th, 2023 - 2:00 PMChurch Street/ Lower Church Street/ Collins Road/ Highway 358, Magee Road/ Starrs Point RoadSystem upgrade - installing new pole and line on Church Street.
Dover, Guysborough CountyJune 2nd, 2023 - 9:30 AMJune 2nd, 2023 - 12:30 PMDover Road, Harbour View Drive and connecting side roads from approximately Dover Lane to Black Duck Cove Provincial Park.Upgrading of equipment for improved reliability.
Stormont/ Coddles Harbour/ Country Harbour/ Drum Head/ Goldboro/ Isaacs Harbour/ New Harbour/ Seal HarbourJune 2nd, 2023 - 9:00 AMJune 2nd, 2023 - 1:00 PMCommunities of Stormont/ Coddles Harbour/ Country Harbour/ Drum Head/ Goldboro/ Isaacs Harbour/ New Harbour and Seal HarbourUrgent repairs to mainline power pole on Highway 316 in Stormont.
Rockingham/ Clayton Park/ FairviewMay 9th, 2023 - 11:59PMMay 10th, 2023 - 12:15 AMRockingham/ Clayton Park/ Fairview areasUrgent repairs to Rockingham substation (third part).
Silverside Drive, WaverleyMay 9th, 2023 - 10:00 AMMay 9th, 2023 - 3:00 PMSilverside Drive/ Rolling Hills Drive/ Overbrook Drive/ Stayner Drive/ Stoneyridge Lane/ and Elmridge DriveTo complete upgrades to Halifax Water booster station on Silverside Drive.
Rockingham/ Clayton Park/ FairviewMay 9th, 2023 - 11:00 PMMay 9th, 2023 - 11:00 PMRockingham/ Clayton Park/ Fairview areasUrgent repairs to Rockingham substation (second part).
Rockingham/ Clayton Park/ FairviewMay 8th, 2023 - 11:00 PMMay 8th, 2023 - 11:10 PMRockingham/ Clayton Park/ Fairview areasUrgent repairs to Rockingham substation.
North Ridge Road, HalifaxMay 3rd, 2023 - 9:00 AMMay 3rd, 2023 - 3:00 PMNorth Ridge Road/ Sentinal Square/ Stoneham Court/ Carriageway Crescent/ Novalea DriveRequired maintenance to electrical vault on North Ridge Road.
Greenwood SubstationApril 30th, 2023 - 6:00 AMApril 30th, 2023 - 8:00 AMGreenwood to South Tremont/ Kingston/ Nicholsville/ Welton's Corner/ Melvern Square/ Aylesford to Morden and all areas in between.Replacing high side transformer switch at the Greenwood substation to improve reliability.
Lunenburg/ Martin's Brook/ Indian Path/ Mahone BayApril 24th, 2023 - 2:45 AMApril 24th, 2023 - 3:00 AMLunenburg/ Martin's Brook/ Indian Path/ Mahone Bay15 Minute outage associated with replacing damaged equipment.
Martins Brook/ Lunenburg/ Mahone BayApril 24th, 2023 - 1:00 AMApril 24th, 2023 - 3:00 AMBlockhouse/ Mahone Bay/ Fauxburg/ Maders Cove/ Martin's Brook/ Hermans Island/ Schnares Crossing/ Lilydale, Deans Corner/ Lunenburg and surrounding communities.Replacing equipment on main feeder line damaged in winter storm.
Jennings Street, HalifaxApril 23rd, 2023 - 8:00 AMApril 23rd, 2023 - 4:00 PMJennings Street/ Larch Street/ Preston Street/ Payzant AvenueConnecting new primary lines on Jennings Street as part of an ongoing upgrade project for this area.

 

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.


More about how we maintain our system