Transformer problem blamed for power outage

Several hundred Shawano Municipal Utilities customers were hit with a power outage Sunday night after the utility lost a phase of a distribution transformer.

The outage caused a brief blackout around 9 p.m., but when power came back up it was at very low wattage, leaving homes with some very dim-burning bulbs and in some cases insufficient wattage to fire up a computer.

Full power was restored about an hour later.

Electrical Supervisor Rob Koepp said there was an issue with the distribution transformer’s internal wiring. He said the utility is looking into the matter.

The outage affected the western corridor and parts north. Koepp estimated that would encompass about 400 to 500 customers