Power has been restored after an osprey disrupted service to 27,000 Maritime Electric customers across central and western P.E.I.
Wildlife Disrupts Power Grid
An unexpected encounter between nature and infrastructure left roughly 27,000 residents of Prince Edward Island without power on Tuesday evening. Maritime Electric confirmed that an osprey caused the widespread outage after coming into contact with a transmission line at the Sherbrooke Substation.
Timing and Extent of the Outage
The outage occurred on the evening of August 5, disrupting power from North Cape to the Charlottetown area. Scattered outages were also reported in Kings County. Full power restoration was achieved by 10:00 p.m. the same night, according to Maritime Electric’s update on X (formerly Twitter).
Summerside Also Impacted
The City of Summerside, which operates its own electric utility, reported complete loss of power shortly before 9:00 p.m. The failure was also traced back to the Sherbrooke Substation. By 9:45 p.m., city officials confirmed that power had been restored to many affected homes and facilities.
Containment Measures in Action
Maritime Electric stated that the electrical system “responded as intended” to the incident, preventing further damage. Meanwhile, Summerside Electric deployed generators to critical locations in the city to mitigate disruptions while repairs were underway.
Substation History Raises Concerns
This is not the first issue reported at the Sherbrooke Substation. In February, the same site experienced a significant failure, prompting energy conservation requests and the shipment of a mobile transformer from Newfoundland to stabilize the grid.
Renewable Reliance and Grid Challenges
Although Summerside Electric produces 60% of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind, it still depends on Maritime Electric’s transmission grid for supplemental power purchased from New Brunswick—highlighting the interdependence of regional utilities.
Moving Forward
The incident underscores the vulnerability of utility infrastructure to wildlife and the ongoing need for preventative measures. Maritime Electric has not confirmed whether further safeguards will be implemented at the substation to avoid future occurrences.
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