An issue at Muskrat Falls sent tens of thousands of Newfoundland Power customers into the darkness this afternoon.

NL Hydro says the issue created an imbalance in the system, knocking the power out for customers from the Avalon to the west coast.

Hydro says these type of outages are rare, but happen to prevent any further damage to the system while it returns to normal functions.

Power has now been restored to most.

We experienced an equipment issue in our Muskrat Falls plant. This caused a sudden imbalance on the system, this is short lived and customers are being restored now.

— NLHydro (@NLHydro) July 28, 2024

Earlier Story

There is a widespread power outage affecting households right across the island this afternoon.

Tens of thousands of customers from the Avalon to the west coast are in the dark according to Newfoundland Power’s website. Areas serviced by NL Hydro are not impacted.

The cause of the outage is unknown with no current restoration time available.