BC Hydro crews restored electricity to 524 customers in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on March 25, 2026, after a power failure affected a large portion of the city. According to BC Hydro, this outage impacted roughly 10 per cent of the households in the community.
The city has faced a string of electricity issues this year, including a windstorm on March 8, 2026, and an avalanche on March 1, 2026, that damaged a power tower. These frequent disruptions happen because Prince Rupert relies on one single power line that runs from Prince George, meaning there is no backup service when that main line is damaged.
Government officials are looking to improve the situation with a six-billion-dollar project to build new, more reliable power lines in the region. Construction on this new line is set to start in the summer of 2026 and has been fast-tracked for review by the federal government to help prevent future blackouts in the north.
Local residents can find real-time updates on any current power issues by using the BC Hydro outage map. The utility also provides service updates through online accounts or over the phone for those who need to report a problem in their neighbourhood.
