With three power plants and a transmission line in the region shut down for maintenance and the weather unseasonably hot, there is a chance that Aquidneck Island and Jamestown could experience power failures over the next couple of days, according to National Grid.
The utility, which supplies electricity to the two islands and much of the rest of the state, held conference calls with municipal leaders in Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and Jamestown on Wednesday and Thursday to warn them of a possible supply shortage after Independent System Operator New England, which manages the regional power grid, notified the company of the situation.
David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid, said that power failures are a remote possibility, but the call to Aquidneck Island officials was made out of an abundance of caution.