News photo by Josh Jambor The Alpena Power Company office is pictured. The utility company restored power to approximately 811 customers within about 90 minutes after an early morning equipment-related outage on Friday.

ALPENA – A power outage impacted approximately 811 Alpena Power Company customers early Friday in a section of the city, with service restored within about 90 minutes.

Ken Dragiewicz, president and chief operating officer for Alpena Power Company, said the outage affected customers living near Ripley Boulevard.

“At 6:27 a.m. this morning a power outage occurred affecting 811 Alpena Power Customers primarily in the area east of Ripley Boulevard between Campbell and State (street) and the area west of Ripley between Third Avenue and Campbell including Old Washington Avenue,” Dragiewicz said.

He said the preliminary cause was equipment failure, but the incident remains under investigation.

“Power was restored by transferring the customer load to another substation and the work was completed at 7:59 a.m.,” Dragiewicz added.

Shifting the electrical load to an alternate substation is a common technique that allows for safe and efficient recovery while the cause is investigated, according to Dragiewicz. Dragiewicz and company officials continue to examine the specific equipment involved. Equipment failures can result from wear over time, environmental factors or other issues.

No injuries or significant property damage were reported as a result of this incident, said Dragiewicz. The outage was isolated, with no widespread disruptions across Alpena Power’s system, which serves about 16,7000 customers in Alpena and surrounding communities.

Alpena Power Co. operates 22 substations.

The affected neighborhoods include a mix of residential homes, some commercial properties, and areas along major local streets. As of midday Friday, power was fully restored, and the system was operating normally. The News will update the story if more details emerge from the investigation.

Josh Jambor can be reached at jjambor@thealpenanews.com.