LUCELEC probes third islandwide power outage

The St Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) has launched a detailed review after the third islandwide power outage of the year on Thursday morning. The outage, which LUCELEC had earlier said was the result of an unexpected shutdown of the power system, occurred at 9:03 a.m., with power restoration beginning at 9:48 a.m., according to […] The article LUCELEC probes third islandwide power outage is from St. Lucia Times.

LUCELEC probes third islandwide power outage

The St Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) has launched a detailed review after the third islandwide power outage of the year on Thursday morning.

The outage, which LUCELEC had earlier said was the result of an unexpected shutdown of the power system, occurred at 9:03 a.m., with power restoration beginning at 9:48 a.m., according to the company. Power was progressively restored across the island, with electricity service fully restored by 10:52 a.m.

In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, LUCELEC said it had started a detailed post-incident review, which will examine the factors that contributed to the outage, assess the effectiveness of system safeguards and identify additional measures to strengthen the reliability and resilience of the electricity system.

LUCELEC noted that Thursday’s outage was the third islandwide interruption affecting customers this year. Previous outages occurred on March 6 and May 1.

The company noted that the March outage resulted from the unexpected operation of a protection system at the Cul De Sac power plant, while the May incident was caused by interference within a breaker.

Although each outage stemmed from different circumstances, LUCELEC said every system interruption is treated seriously.

“LUCELEC appreciates that customers expect a reliable electricity service and acknowledges the impact that interruptions can have on households, businesses, essential services and the wider economy,” it said. “Maintaining the stability and reliability of the electricity system remains a core priority for the company, and significant investments continue to be made in the infrastructure, systems and operational practices that support that objective.”

LUCELEC apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused by Thursday’s outage and thanked the public for its patience while service was being restored.

“The company remains committed to providing a safe, reliable and resilient electricity service,” it added

The article LUCELEC probes third islandwide power outage is from St. Lucia Times.