St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) wishes to provide additional information regarding the island-wide power outage experienced across Saint Lucia on the evening of Friday, May 1, 2026.
At approximately 9:37 p.m., an unexpected fault occurred on an 11 kilovolt (11kV) breaker within LUCELEC’s Cul-de-Sac electricity network. The fault triggered the automatic protection systems designed to prevent significant equipment damage resulting in the total shutdown of the electricity system.
Preliminary investigations have since confirmed that the fault was initiated by rodent interference with the 11 kV breaker. While such wildlife accidents are rare and are well recognized risks in power systems globally, LUCELEC employs multiple layers of protection specifically to contain faults of this nature and prevent potential damage to the wider system.
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Following inspections and system checks, power restoration commenced at approximately 10:31 p.m., with electricity supply being progressively returned to customers across the island. Full restoration was completed by 11:11 p.m.
LUCELEC has initiated a detailed post‑incident technical review as part of its standard operational process. This review will assess the sequence of events, system performance, and existing mitigation measures to ensure they operated as expected. Its results will guide any further actions required to strengthen resilience and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
LUCELEC sincerely apologises to its valued customers for the inconvenience caused by this unplanned island-wide outage and thanks the public for their patience and understanding. The company also commends its technical teams for their swift and coordinated response in restoring electricity supply.
We remain committed to delivering a safe, reliable, and resilient electricity service and will continue investing in infrastructure, system protection, and operational improvements in service to the people of Saint Lucia.
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