IT IS possible for compensation to be paid for any fallout during Wednesday’s power outage?

The Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) in a press release circulated on social media indicated people affected by the power outage could be entitled to $60 compensation.

The compensation is one of eight Guaranteed Electricity Standards that the RIC set to ensure that the TT Electricity Commission (TTEC) provides superior quality service to all customers.

Newsday understands that should any of the other standards be breached compensation would be paid directly to the customers’ electricity bill but in the case of a failure to supply or restore power, customers are entitled to cash.

TTEC explained on its website that in the event of a failure of supply to customers it must restore supply within ten hours of the time from which it became aware of the fault. If it fails to do so it must pay a $60 compensation to residential and commercial customers or $600 for industrial customers.

The website added that for every additional period of 12 hours that there was not a supply of power, customers would be entitled to an additional compensation. The compensation is limited to two additional periods.

For customers to claim the compensation, they will have to make a written claim within three months of the breach. The RIC said TTEC is exempt from paying the compensation in the event of an extraordinary circumstance beyond the control of the utility.

These circumstances include but are not limited to interruptions caused by a natural disaster and the failure of electricity generation supplied by a third party.

At 12.52 pm on Wednesday, a fault developed on the TTEC system causing an islandwide blackout. The blackout affected everything from mobile data, to traffic, to water supply. Tobago was not affected.

By 6.30 pm on Wednesday, reports started coming in that power was restored in some parts of Trinidad including parts of central and Penal. By 8 pm, electricity was restored to parts of Southern Trinidad. By 1.30 am on Thursday, all of Trinidad's electricity was restored.