The utility company Entergy on Friday issued a statement explaining that the power outage during last Sunday’s Super Bowl at the Superdome in New Orelans, La. was the cause of a defective electrical relay device.
The device was specifically installed to protect the Mercedes-Benz Superdome equipment in the event of a cable failure between the switchgear and the stadium.
While the relay functioned without issue during a number of high-profile events – including the New Orleans Bowl, the New Orleans Saints–Carolina Panthers game, and the Sugar Bowl – during Sunday’s game, the relay device triggered, signaling a switch to open when it should not have, causing the partial outage.
This device has since been removed from service and new replacement equipment is being evaluated.
“While some further analysis remains, we believe we have identified and remedied the cause of the power outage and regret the interruption that occurred during what was a showcase event for the city and state,” said Charles Rice, president and chief executive officer of Entergy New Orleans.
Entergy and the management company SMG issued a statement the day following the game detailing what happened when one half of the stadium went dark, causing a 34-minute delay.
