By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NEW Providence suffered an island-wide blackout early Friday morning, prompting an investigation by Bahamas Power and Light Ltd (BPL), officials said yesterday.

While power on the island has been fully restored, officials said in an emailed statement that the shutdown appears to have been caused by an underground cable fault.

BPL said homes across the island experienced a disruption in their supply shortly after 2am. The electricity provider said some areas were restored just before 5am and the restoration exercise was complete just before 8am.

The statement read: “Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd (BPL) has fully restored power following a system shutdown in New Providence earlier this morning.

“The shutdown, which is still being investigated, appears to have been caused by a underground cable fault. 

“The total shutdown occurred after 2am and BPL crews were able to make initial assessments, begin powering up engines and incrementally restoring areas starting just before 5am on Friday morning. BPL completed restoration before 8am.

“The company advises that while, initially, this appears to be a cable failure, it will continue its investigation into this early morning outage. BPL also advises that it is presently undergoing a major project in New Providence to reinforce it's high voltage underground cables,” BPL said.