By DIANTÉ MARIGNY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
A week of on-and-off power outages across South Padre Island and Port Isabel left many residents and business owners frustrated, with some questioning whether they were experiencing unannounced rolling blackouts.
Calls and messages poured in from across the area as outages appeared to happen sporadically, often without warning. Many said they had not received advance notice from AEP Texas and were caught off guard as power flickered or went out entirely.
Midweek, AEP Texas addressed at least part of the issue in a public post, confirming a scheduled outage in Port Isabel late Wednesday night.
“Weather permitting, AEP Texas has scheduled an outage for Wednesday, March 25 in Port Isabel. The outage will start at 11 p.m. and should conclude around 1 a.m. Some customers may continue to experience outages until approximately 7 a.m. as crews complete additional work,” the statement read. “This will allow crews to work on equipment to improve reliability in the future. The outage is expected to impact approximately 3,400 customers.”
As of early Thursday morning, the effects were still being felt. At 4:30 a.m., the AEP Texas outage map showed 1,119 customers remained without power.
Residents described the outages as inconsistent, with some areas losing power multiple times, adding to confusion and concern. Businesses, particularly those reliant on refrigeration and tourism traffic, said the uncertainty created challenges during peak spring activity.
The PRESS reached out to AEP for an explanation. Spokesperson Hill Cocke said, “These planned outages are necessary to allow crews to safely perform maintenance on our equipment, including removing salt and other buildup that naturally occurs in coastal environments like South Padre Island. Over time, this contamination can affect equipment performance and lead to unplanned outages. By scheduling this work in advance, we’re helping improve reliability and reduce the risk of longer, unexpected outages for our customers.”