After Powerful Weekend Storm, NHEC Expects Restoration by Monday

PLYMOUTH, NH (12/18/22; 11 a.m.) – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) line crews, with help from tree and line crews across the region, have worked around-the-clock to restore power to more than 15,000 members since a damaging storm dropped more than a foot of heavy, wet snow on the state. As of 11 a.m. on Sunday, December 18, approximately 1,700 NHEC members remained without power in more than 40 towns.

With the exception of some small, scattered outages, NHEC expects to be fully restored by 10 p.m. on Monday, December 19.

Outages peaked on the NHEC system at 4 a.m. on the morning of December 17, 2022. By that time, trees and branches had caused damage to power lines in more than 200 locations, knocking out power to 16,582 members. After making good progress restoring the largest outages on Saturday, crews are spending Sunday and Monday restoring smaller taps and service lines. It’s a labor-intensive process that will continue until power is restored to all NHEC members.

“We appreciate the continued patience of our members as we deal with the aftermath of this challenging storm,” said NHEC Director of Operations Joshua Mazzei. “The damage caused by this storm was extensive and statewide. We salute the lineworkers and support teams that have worked nonstop to get the lights back on for the people we serve. Their skill and dedication have resulted in the safe restoration of power to thousands of members. We expect further progress today and remain confident that we will be substantially restored by Monday night.”

As crews work to repair damage in more than 100 locations today, Estimated Times of Restoration (ETORs) for remaining outages will be updated on the live outage map on NHEC’s website: https://www.nhec.com/outage-dashboard/