Equipment Malfunction Causes Power Outage

The power is back on! 

Aquidneck Island residents experienced a brief interruption to their Monday morning routine after an equipment malfunction shut caused a brief, townwide blackout. 

According to David Graves, spokesman for National Grid, the brief power outage was caused by an equipment malfunction at the Dexter substation. 

"We had people in the immediate vicinity and they were able to restore power within 15 minutes, but there was that momentary time without power," Graves said. 

The power went out at 10:28 a.m. and was restored by 10:43, according to National Grid. Approximately 7,800 Portsmouth residents were affected. 

Power went out throughout town, including at Town Hall, Portsmouth High School and in Island Park.