Bermuda has experienced a widespread power outage since Friday evening, affecting the island’s internet and phone service availability.
Deeming it a “serious incident” at Bermuda’s sole power supplier, the government advised customers to “disconnect all sensitive electrical equipment” as crews worked around the clock on restoration efforts.
Located in the western North Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda is a self-governing British overseas territory with a population of around 64,000.
Off: Bermuda is not connected
In the early evening hours on Friday, BELCO, Bermuda’s sole electricity supplier said it was working to restore power amid a “mass outage” affecting the island.
Bermuda’s government acknowledged the “serious incident” at the power supplier and issued further guidance.
(1/2) The government has been informed that there has been a serious incident at Belco which has resulted in an island-wide blackout.
Belco is currently working to restore power.
— Government of Bermuda (@BdaGovernment) 3 February 2023
“Minister of National Security Michael Weeks has been kept informed of progress,” the statement added.
“Currently all government offices are closed and the public is advised to unplug sensitive equipment. Updates will be made available via the emergency broadcast [Station] at 100.1 FM.”
Power surges, which often follow a power outage, can be harmful to voltage-sensitive devices such as laptops, mobile phones, medical equipment, etc.
The government asked the residents for it keep the roads clear and failing to call 955, BELCO’s line to report power outages.
Interruption affects the internet and telephones
Reports suggest that the massive blackout in the British overseas territory also affected much of the region’s internet connectivity, with some customers also losing their phone connections.
Internet monitoring organization NetBlocks confirmed hours after the blackout that internet connectivity across the luxury island was down to around 30% of its normal levels. Cloudflare Radar further observed a noticeable drop in the region’s internet traffic.
Confirmed: A major power outage has knocked out internet connectivity across much of #Bermuda; Real-time network data shows national connectivity down to ~30% of regular levels; the incident comes amid reports of a serious incident at Belco pic.twitter.com/azBbqNfqUh
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) 3 February 2023
BELCO’s outage map last reported 4,464 customers without power. Friday at 20:30 (Bermuda time) had the company restored power to about 90% of its customers and all circuits coming back up at 21.45. Customers who remain without power can now call 955.
Approx. 23:00, Cloudflare Radar observed Internet traffic levels are gradually returning to normal.
“First and foremost is the safety of our staff and the public. I am pleased to report that all of our employees are safe and responsible,” BELCO President Wayne Caines said in a statement.
The cause of this widespread but mysterious occurrence is still unknown.
“I sincerely apologize to our customers [inconvenience] caused by today’s outcome. We will conduct a root cause analysis of today’s outage and will report on the outcome in due course. Let me thank our staff at BELCO who acted quickly and professionally to ensure power was restored as quickly and safely as possible.”
BELCO’s last major island-wide power outage occurred in December 2020.
