NES Feb. 2 Fact Sheet

When will my power be restored?

By Monday, Feb. 2, power will be restored to approximately 86% of customers. By Thursday, Feb. 5, approximately 95% of customers will have power. We expect all power to be restored to those customers that can receive power by Feb. 9

My power is out and I'm not home. How can I find out if my power is back on?

NES has launched a Residential Service Status online tool at nespower.com. This provides residential customers with individual household information about the status of their outage. Type in your residential address to see if your power is one or off, and whether a crew is assigned and actively working on your outage.

How do we know where they may be working in our neighborhood?

Using the Residential Service Status online tool at nespower.com, residential customers can enter their address to see if power is one or off at their residence, and whether a crew is assigned and actively working to restore power to that address.

Why is it taking so long to restore power?

The amount of destruction left by Winter Storm Fern is extensive. The storm broke over 700 power poles that take significant time to replace. All available NES and contract crews are working 24/7 on restoration.

How do you prioritize who gets power back first?

Lineworkers start with critical services, like hospitals and emergency response organizations. They then work to restore the largest outage areas first and work their way down to single homes. One neighborhood is not prioritized over another.

What are you doing to make sure customers will get power back on as soon as possible?

Our lineworkers are working 14 hour shifts around the clock in freezing temperatures to restore power to all customers. We have more than 1,200 lineworkers in the field and continue to scale.

What are the major obstacles in scaling and getting out more resources?

Safely restoring power to all customers is our top priority. Integrating outside crews into a live electric system is challenging but we are doing that as quickly and safely as we can. Lineworkers must be qualified, trained, insured and integrated into our safety and operations protocols.

Can medical facilities be given priority now that the outage sizes are down below 1000 customers each?

Critical facilities (hospitals, police) are prioritized first during restoration efforts.

Is NES able to give an estimate of when power will be restored?

February 1, 2026

We have assessed the entire service area and can now offer restoration completion dates for each zip code. Extensive work is being done every day in every area. For clarification, the completion date estimates when the entire zip code will be finished. We will be working in all of our service territory until all customers are restored. Those areas that are taking longer to complete just have more damage than others.

10.

If there are areas where NES can't give an estimate for the restoration of power, can you provide an explanation?

At NESPower.com, we provided restoration completion estimates for every zip code.

11.

Residents are still getting text messages that power has been restored, and it has not been. Can this be fixed?

We are continually working on our systems and apologize for this error. This storm caused the largest outage in NES history and we have deployed our largest response. At this time, all text messages have been disabled.

12.

NES has told us the number of lineworkers in the field. How many truck crews does that equate to?

A typical line crew consists of 3–5 specialized workers.

13.

How many tree crews are working on removing trees?

We have 257 vegetation management team members deployed.

14.

Have all of the roads been cleared, so that crews can access the poles?

Road clearing continues and is managed by NDOT and other government partners. We appreciate their partnership and the hard work they have been doing 24/7 to clear the roads.

15.

What work other than pole work needs to happen before power can be restored?

Clearing fallen trees/limbs, re-stringing wires, replacing transformers, and repairing substations.

16.

NES has mentioned that there are certain repairs that homeowners have to make first before power can be restored.

Yes. If the weatherhead (where lines enter the house), power mast or the meter base is damaged, our lineworkers cannot safely reconnect power. If the weatherhead is damaged, customers must contact an electrician for repairs before NES can reconnect power.

17.

Does NES have sufficient poles to replace the broken poles? If not, when do you expect to receive the poles?

NES maintains a stockpile of poles sufficient for the amount of replacements needed, in addition to hardware. We currently have a supply of more than 2,000 poles.

18.

How should customers report that they have completed work on their house necessary for reconnection?

February 1, 2026

Customers need an electrician to complete this work, and the electrician notifies Metro Codes/NES or other governmental bodies.

19.

How are you working with NDOT and the national guard?

We are working closely with the National Guard on vegetation management and closely with NDOT on road access. Both have been great partners and have been very supportive of our restoration efforts.

20.

Is it true that NES cut its tree trimming budget by 7M, is this true? If so, why?

That is false. Over the last four years, our budget has increased every year for vegetation management and tree trimming. We have enhanced our efficiencies and we are actually cutting more miles for less budget now.

21.

What should residents do when they see a notification that they have power, but their neighborhood does not have power...

We have created a new tool on our website that provides residential customers with individual household information about the status of their outage, whether it is on or off and whether a crew is assigned.

22.

Does NES plan to hire more staff and engineers to keep up with the growth of the city?

NES regularly reviews staffing needs and will re-assess after this major weather event.

23.

What should neighborhoods do when they are in the midst of other streets/apt complexes that have received power and they are alone...

24.

Is there anything I can tell them to explain the possible reasons why?

It can be frustrating to see your neighbor’s lights on while you’re still in the dark, but there’s a reason for it. Think of the electric grid like the breaker panel in your own home. Just as a breaker can trip in your bathroom while the kitchen lights stay on, neighborhoods are divided into different circuits that don’t always follow a straight line. There could also be additional damage. The specific line or transformer serving your home may have damage that the neighboring line does not. Sometimes a "secondary" fault exists on your specific tap line that keeps you offline even after the main repair is finished. There could also be damage to your home's weatherhead or meter base that requires a licensed electrician to fix before we can safely restore your power.

25.

Will you now be able to give people a number of days they need to make alternative housing arrangements?

February 1, 2026

We will be working in all of our service territory until all customers are restored. Those areas that are taking longer to complete just have more damage than others.

26.

Was NES prepared for this amount of ice or was the ice a surprise?

We plan year-round for weather events, but this storm caused our largest outage event in history. We have deployed our largest response in history but the ice that blanketed the city did major damage that we are still repairing.

27.

How many MNPS schools are still without power, and do we have any anticipated timeline for restoration to MNPS properties?

We currently have eight schools still without power and estimate to have power back to those schools by end of day today.

28.

Why would you treat preparation for this storm the same way you treat a tornado?

29.

Where will customers be able to access the my-outage-tracker tool?

On the homepage of NESPower.com. There is a link in the top banner.

30.

What is the definition of a crew?

A "crew" size varies, depending on assignment. An average range could be 2-5 people.

31.

Aren’t poles being placed in holes that already exist?

Replacing a pole often requires cleaning out the old hole (augering) or digging a new one if the old one is compromised/blocked by the broken stump. It is not as simple as "plug and play."

32.

Since most of the other electric companies all around us have completed their restorations, why haven’t you called them to help??

NES does use Mutual Aid with other utilities. However, neighboring utilities often have their own damage. NES is in contact with them and coordinating any additional support.

33.

Can you speak to the accuracy of the NES outage map vs what meters show?

The map aggregates data. If a meter isn't communicating (AMI), the map might estimate. Customers should always manually report if the map is wrong.

34.

Are you willing to commit to an independent audit of this outage response?

We will do a post-storm analysis.

35.

Some constituents think they won't have power for another week.

We have assessed the entire service area and can now offer restoration completion dates for each zip code at NESPower.com. Extensive work is being done every day in every area. The completion date estimates when the entire zip code will be finished. This information is constantly changing and updated twice daily. We will be working in all of our service territory until all customers are restored. Those areas that are taking longer to complete just have more damage than others.