On Thursday evening, all business affected by the Nov. 6 failure of the underground electric network in downtown Laredo were able to receive electric service. An investigation into the cause of the network failure is ongoing.

Approximately 133 downtown businesses were affected by the outage and power was restored to 105 businesses by 2 p.m. on Nov. 7. However, 28 businesses remained without power because of the extensive damage to the underground network. (Initially, that count was thought to be 38 businesses.)

Crews from the Laredo District, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Columbus, Ohio, and contract crews have worked around the clock since Nov. 6 to clear out the debris from the underground vault and begin the task of replacing damaged electric cable and electric facilities.

AEP Texas met with affected businesses throughout the process to inform them about their progress and to answer their questions. The company began restoring power to the 28 businesses in stages starting Wednesday night after making repairs and installing new electric cable from the network to the businesses.

The extensive damage to the system slowed the company’s restoration efforts, and temporary electric services were constructed to supply power until permanent repairs to the underground network are completed.

“Our focus all along was to get businesses back in service as quickly and safely as possible,” said Wade Smith, AEP Texas president and chief operating officer. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and realize the inconvenience caused by the power outage.”

Smith also thanked crews and all personnel who helped with the power restoration effort, and the City of Laredo for its assistance in clearing the underground vault of debris immediately after the outage.

“It took a team effort and some innovative solutions to tackle the issues confronting us by the outage,” Smith said. “These efforts are greatly appreciated."