Nantucket Current | Power outage at Stroll: Why did National Grid…

The power outage in downtown Nantucket during the island’s 50th Christmas Stroll last Saturday resulted in significant losses for restaurants and businesses on one of the most profitable weekends of the year. But what caused the power outage and why did it take 27 hours for power to be restored?

National Grid, the multinational utility that owns and operates the island’s electrical infrastructure, blamed the outage on two failed sections of underground power cable.

“We are working to determine the reasons for the cable failure and an investigation is currently underway,” said spokesman Bob Kiewra Current. He declined further comment.

Sources with knowledge of what happened on Nantucket indicate that at least 500 feet of underground cable along South Water Street from the Sunken Ship store to the Dreamland Theater was damaged and had to be replaced. After it was removed and the new cable was laid, crews still needed additional time for splices and connections.

This work required National Grid to dispatch specialist equipment and additional manpower from the mainland, and these teams arrived late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning.

All of these factors combined to result in an extended outage at perhaps the worst time for downtown businesses.

The underground power cables that failed Saturday were dated 1989, making them 35 years old. However, it is unclear when they were installed. Regardless, they would still be below the life expectancy of underground electrical cables of 40 to 50 years. However, this part of the city center is vulnerable to coastal flooding and the cables may have been affected by repeated exposure to salt water.

A person involved in the repair work said Current “Unfortunately it was just a normal cable fault. It happened to be in one of the worst parts of downtown.”

National Grid executives are expected to attend Wednesday night’s special committee meeting at the request of city officials. However, it is unclear whether they will provide an update on the results of their investigation into the power outage.

“It just happens,” said one utility worker Current. “We couldn’t figure out the reason. It seems to happen when there is more strain on the cable. At least for other areas of the island.”

But one thing became clear in the days following the blackout: National Grid has no intention of settling claims against the company from island businesses that suffered losses during the blackout.

In a letter to the owners of the Nantucket Surf Club on South Water Street, a National Grid representative said their claim had been denied. The utility pointed to the Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Electric Service with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which state that it “is not obligated to honor claims for economic losses (loss of profits or revenue, business interruption, spoilage of goods, costs) of temporary equipment.” etc.)…”

While many or most downtown businesses have private business interruption insurance policies, it appears that even these do not provide relief. Two island restaurants affected by the outage said this Current this week that their policy only kicks in after 72 hours of service interruption, meaning the 27-hour weekend power outage would not be covered.