An island-wide power outage brought large parts of Saint Lucia to a halt Thursday morning disrupting homes, businesses and essential services. The situation has prompted LUCELEC to launch another investigation into the reliability of the island’s electricity system.
The outage occurred at approximately 9:03 a.m. on July 16. According to LUCELEC, power restoration began at 9:48 a.m. and was progressively restored across the island, with full service returning by 10:52 a.m.
The latest outage marks the third island-wide system failure in 2026, following similar incidents on March 6 and May 1. LUCELEC acknowledged growing public concern over the recurring outages and confirmed that a comprehensive post-incident review is now underway.
The company said each of the three outages has stemmed from different causes. The March blackout was attributed to the unexpected operation of a protection system at the Cul De Sac power plant, while the May incident resulted from interference affecting a breaker. The cause of Thursday’s outage remains under investigation.
The review will examine the factors that triggered the latest shutdown, assess the effectiveness of existing system safeguards and determine what additional measures can be implemented to strengthen the resilience and reliability of the national electricity network.
LUCELEC acknowledged the significant impact that power interruptions have on households, businesses, essential services and the wider economy, stressing that maintaining a stable and reliable electricity supply remains one of its highest priorities. The company said it continues to invest in infrastructure, operational systems and grid improvements aimed at reducing the likelihood of future disruptions.
Apologising for the inconvenience caused, LUCELEC thanked customers for their patience during the restoration process and reaffirmed its commitment to providing Saint Lucia with a safe, reliable and resilient electricity service.
