Power Outages, BELCO Working To Restore

August 13, 2020

[Updated] BELCO said they are “working to repair a major transmission fault which has led to outages in the West End of the island.”

“The outages occurred due to faults on primary transmission lines on Middle Road, Southampton. BELCO crews are working hard to restore customers as quickly and as efficiently as possible,” a spokesperson said.

“BELCO will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available on the progress of restoration efforts. We know that outages are inconvenient and we thank everyone in advance for their patience.

“The outages were due to a fault on cables that are 60 years old and in need of replacement. As part of BELCO’s capital plan, the Company is making major improvements to the grid, including replacing aging cables, that will serve all our customers into the future with more reliable, safe and cost-effective electricity.

“The upgrades will also ensure that large and small-scale renewable energy can be safely fed into the grid from projects such as the solar finger installation at the Airport and residential rooftop solar.

“Customers can log on to www.belco.bm and view the outage map for estimated restoration times.”

Update 7.38pm: A spokesperson said, “Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited [BELCO or the Company] this afternoon provided an update on restoration efforts following three major transmission faults which led to outages in the West end of the island.

“The outages occurred due to faults on primary transmission lines on Middle Road, Southampton. BELCO crews continue to work to restore customers as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

“As the faults are in underground cables, excavators are required to access them so repairs can be made.

“BELCO crews are now working to repair one of the faults that will bring some customers back online in the early hours of Friday morning.

“It is anticipated that the majoirty of remaining customers will have their power restored within a 24-hour period, however BELCO will continue to update the public on progress and customers are urged to plan accordingly.

“West end residents who currently have power are asked to conserve and minimise their electricity usage as much as possible to avoid additional stress on the grid and possibly cause additional outages.

“As a precautionary measure it is always advisable during any power outage to unplug or turn off your circuit breaker for any sensitive electrical equipment.

“BELCO is aware of the outages in the West end so please do not call 955 unless there is an emergency.

“We know that outages are inconvenient and our crews will be working around the clock to restore power to all our valued customers. We thank everyone in advance for their patience.”

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Comments (11)

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  1. Bring_it says:

    They should give us 20% off our belco bill. I was cooking and my lights just cut out, very f*#@g convenient.

  2. Boz says:

    Businesses can’t afford this right now…

  3. Hmmmm says:

    Fault to a 60 year old cable that we knew was a problem!!! All you can do is laugh at the incompetence!!!

  4. Me says:

    BELCO should feel ashamed that they have 60 year old equipment and cables. They turnover HUGE profits every year and they cannot keep the cables and equipment updated. Just pathetic!!! Especially with the price we pay for electric. That’s why they need competition. shame on you BELCO

  5. Sister Nancy says:

    I hope they give a discount to all house holds that have to sweat it out in this heat tonight. Just shameful that the cables are 60 years old. With the prices we pay for electricity all equipment should be maintained to a high standard.

  6. Tom says:

    Lucky we dont have many tourist’s here !!

  7. Dark star says:

    Anybody asked why a 60 yr old cable is underground? Think about it……….

  8. Kathy says:

    Sounds to me like BELCO is trying to get out of claims for appliances that get burned out in power surges by warning people to turn off their breakers. If you don’t have power nor a cell phone nor internet, how are you supposed to know to heed this warning???

    BELCO and ONLY BELCO is responsible for the existing aging grid in Bermuda. They put money in the shareholders pockets for over 100 years instead of investing in UPGRADING its existing dinosaur infrastructure, nevermind putting everything underground for hurricane protection, which people have been asking for for DECADES!

    Bermudians needs to race towards 100% renewable energy. You think times are tough right now just wait until our only utility is under water from rising sea levels as they are in a low lying area of Pembroke.

  9. Oh,I see now says:

    Good work you guys.I bet some members of the public will see one of you taking a five minute break and accuse everyone of sitting on their a$$es and getting paid for it.You gotta love we moes when whe’re desperate for A/C and Internet.

  10. Sands says:

    Grateful Belco got things up and running this morning, but in the meantime we got maybe 2 hours of sleep last night and hundreds of dollars in groceries have spoiled.