East Central Energy experienced a power outage that affected over 400 meters in the southeast section of North Branch on Thursday, August 8. The outage began at 3:03 p.m. and occurred in the residential area around Lincoln Trail, including members in the Casselberry Ponds development, and was caused by multiple points of underground equipment failure.

This equipment, previously owned by the City of North Branch, presented significant challenges for our crews as they worked diligently to restore power. As part of our commitment to transparency and member communication, we provided regular updates via social media throughout the outage.

We acquired this infrastructure in February 2023 from the city when North Branch Water & Light decided to sell their assets rather than invest in costly upgrades. At the time, the city faced a difficult decision: invest in upgrading their aging equipment, which would have required raising rates, or divest their electrical infrastructure. They chose the latter, and we have taken on the responsibility to make the necessary investments to maintain and enhance system reliability.

“The August 8 outage, while challenging, highlights the need for ongoing investment in infrastructure,” said VP/COO Andy Olson. “We have been evaluating what needs to be done to harden North Branch’s former system to meet ECE’s rigorous standards. There are significant investments required to bring the system up to our reliability expectations.”

Our crews worked throughout the evening, with power ultimately being restored around 11 p.m. The complexity of the underground system, combined with multiple equipment failures, significantly extended the restoration time.

“We understand how frustrating this was for our newest members in the North Branch community, especially as the estimated restoration times had to be adjusted multiple times,” Olson continued. “ECE is continuing to assess the situation to determine the exact cause of the outage and to take steps to prevent similar issues in the future.”

We encourage all members to download the free SmartHub app to their mobile device. SmartHub allows for faster outage reporting plus direct access to ECE’s Facebook page and the entire system outage map.