What are the main causes of a power outage?
Nova Scotia Power gives the top reasons lights went out in 2024.
Planned Outages – there were over 1,600 planned outages that were for things like replacing equipment, customer connections or maintenance
Trees on Lines – trees coming into contact with power lines was the main cause of outages last year with over 32,000 km of power lines running along forests and tree lined roads
Storms and Severe Weather – there were over 1,000 outages in 2024 from severe weather including high winds, ice and heavy snow
Car Crashes – there was nearly a car accident every day that caused a power outage last year with over 320 separate events
Emergency Response – there were over 187 incidents where first responders requested power to be shut off for things like housefires, crashes, and individuals in danger
Animal Interference – more than 1,500 outages were caused by animals like birds, squirrels, raccoons and other animals
The utility says they are investing $1.3 billion in reliability initiatives over the next five years.
