New Bedford Customers Receive Incorrect Dates for Eversource Interruption

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — Eversource customers in New Bedford’s West End were concerned when letters arrived in their mailboxes recently informing them of an impending interruption in their electrical service.

The letter, dated December 14, states that a maintenance outage is required for “reliability work” on the Eversource electrical system “and for the safety of our crews performing the work, we will need to turn off electricity in the area.”

According to the letter, the outage is planned from 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 14. That led to residents becoming concerned they would be without power – and therefore in some cases without heat – in the middle of January.

However, it won’t be a five-day period, but rather just a few hours, if that.

Eversource spokesperson William Hinkle confirmed to WBSM Friday morning that the “until January 14” portion of the letter was a typo.

“New letters/notifications will be sent to customers today with the correct date and times, which is as follows: on January 9, there will be a temporary outage scheduled for three hours between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,” Hinkle said in an email response.

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After hearing about the letter during her weekly appearance on WBSM Friday morning, New Bedford City Council President Linda Morad also reached out to her contact at Eversource and was able to provide more information.

“The work involves installing a new switch in that area to improve service and rectify some outages that have been happening,” Morad said.

“The work is only being done on Tuesday, January 9 and it is daytime work. The letter is advising people that there is a possibility that service could be out for a five-hour period. However, they do not anticipate that it will be that long," she said.