A transmission line trip in the Labrador-Island Link led to a widespread power outage affecting various regions of Newfoundland on Tuesday evening. Affected areas included the Avalon Peninsula, Burin Peninsula, central Newfoundland, and even as far as Corner Brook. Power was successfully restored by 8 p.m. NT, with approximately 53,000 customers impacted, according to N.L. Hydro spokesperson Mark King.
The outage was attributed to an under-frequency load shed event caused by the transmission line trip, as explained by a statement from the Crown corporation on social media. The Labrador-Island Link, responsible for transmitting electricity from Muskrat Falls in Labrador to Newfoundland and beyond, experienced the trip, prompting an ongoing investigation into the root cause.
Previous instances of similar outages have occurred due to issues with the Labrador-Island Link or the Maritime Link connecting Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. An under-frequency load shed event occurs when there is a power imbalance in the system, leading to the dropping of predetermined blocks of customers to prevent a system-wide blackout.
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