A massive power outage struck New Orleans on Sunday, leaving over 100,000 Entergy New Orleans customers without electricity across the Eastbank, St. Bernard Parish, Metairie, and parts of Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes.
The outage, caused by a load shedding event ordered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), began around 4:30 PM CDT.
New Orleans City Councilmember Joseph Giarrusso highlighted MISO’s three-minute warning to Entergy.
“According to Entergy, this is a load shed event as directed by MISO. That means it is intentional. The question is why?” he wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
What Happened?
The outage was triggered by a load shed, an intentional power cut to prevent grid overload when demand exceeds supply. Entergy New Orleans reported that 52,000 customers in Orleans Parish, 36,000 in Jefferson Parish, 6,000 in St. Bernard Parish, and 6,500 in Plaquemines Parish were affected, with additional impacts on Cleco customers in the northshore. The outage hit neighborhoods like Lakeview, Gentilly, Mid-City, Uptown, Treme, Marigny, and Garden District, as well as Meraux and Violet in St Bernard, and Bonnabel Place in Metairie.
Entergy’s outage map showed 102,771 customers impacted by 5:00 PM CDT, with traffic lights out at key intersections.
{{/usCountry}}Entergy’s outage map showed 102,771 customers impacted by 5:00 PM CDT, with traffic lights out at key intersections.
{{/usCountry}}MISO, the regional grid operator managing 15 US states, ordered the load shed to avert a catastrophic blackout. Entergy stated that crews worked to restore power “as quickly and safely as possible,” but no initial restoration timeline was provided, pending MISO’s clearance.
By 6:30 PM CDT, parts of Uptown regained power, and full restoration was projected by 7:00 PM, though delays persisted in St. Bernard.
MISO’s Three-Minute Notice
The most contentious detail was MISO’s three-minute warning to Entergy before initiating the load shed, leaving no time for customer or regulatory preparation.
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis explained that the outage resulted from multiple factors: one Entergy generator was offline for scheduled maintenance, a second generator (possibly Entergy or Cleco) failed unexpectedly, and power demand exceeded forecasts due to high temperatures. Lewis questioned MISO’s forecasting accuracy, noting, “Why was the forecasting off?”
While MISO was slammed for the alleged three-minute notice, the claim cannot be verified as of now.
No injuries were reported, but the outage disrupted businesses, homes, and traffic, with residents urged to treat dark intersections as four-way stops, per WDSU.