CAPE BRETON: A large-scale power outage impacted thousands of Nova Scotia Power (NSP) customers across Cape Breton this past weekend, as utility crews worked around the clock to address issues tied to a substation and transmission line failures.
The outage, which began Saturday and continued into Sunday, affected up to 11,000 customers in communities including Whycocomagh, Chéticamp, Inverness, Mabou, and Baddeck. While power was restored to many areas Saturday evening, a further planned outage took place Sunday to complete emergency repairs.
The second outage, scheduled from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, extended power loss to areas that had already been affected the previous day. By 3:30 p.m., NSP’s outage map indicated that power had been fully restored across the region.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Nova Scotia Power explained that the temporary outage was necessary to “ensure power could be safely restored to all areas.”
Initial issues began with a transmission line failure. NSP was able to reroute power to some areas, including Inverness, Margaree, and Chéticamp. However, additional problems at the Whycocomagh substation led to further complications. Crews worked through the night into Sunday, with continued efforts throughout the day to complete the repairs.
Kyle MacQuarrie, MLA for Inverness, provided regular updates on social media, commending the dedication of repair crews and the resilience of residents.
“Being without power overnight is not something we expect to happen in the summer,” MacQuarrie said early Sunday morning. “If you have a friend, neighbour or family member that is living alone, or is elderly, please go and knock on their door and check if they need anything.”
Later in the day, MacQuarrie acknowledged the impact on local events and businesses, particularly during the busy Inverness Gathering weekend.
“I’ve been speaking with many people this morning including the organizers of some of the amazing events we have going on. They are so positive, resilient and determined,” he wrote. “They could put on a clinic about how to get things done!”
The outage was particularly disruptive for small businesses, as it was noted some had been forced to close, including the only grocery store in the community of Inverness.
Despite the inconvenience, local officials and residents expressed appreciation for the efforts of power crews and called for increased communication and long-term infrastructure improvements to prevent future outages.
As of now, NSP has not confirmed the exact cause of the initial outage, noting that the company’s priority over the weekend remained on restoring service.