State regulators call second NStar outage ‘unacceptable’
State regulators today called this week’s power outage in the Back Bay “unacceptable’’ and demanded that electric company NSTAR provide a full account of what is being done to prevent another blackout.
Officials from the Department of Public Utilities told NStar officials they needed to maintain the “highest standards’’ as they repair a substation that caught fire in March, cutting power for two days to a broad swath of the city.
NStar assured regulators that the cause of Tuesday’s outage, which lasted less than an hour, had been remedied and “will not happen again,’’ David Cash, a department commissioner, said in statement.
Cash said NStar must provide a full report by June 1 on the causes of both outages and steps taken to bolster the electric system.
“The DPU intends to closely monitor NSTAR’s restoration efforts, assess the June reports, and take all appropriate further action,’’ he said.
The meeting was closed to the public.
NStar officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
NStar has said the cause of the most recent outage was a power surge that caused a “protective system’’ to trip and shut down power.
Since April, crews have been working to install a second transformer at the damaged substation, NStar spokesman Michael Durand said earlier this week.
Crews are also working to install additional backup systems to guard against outages, he said.
The work, which should be completed by mid-June, is not expected to cause additional problems, Durand said.
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