Menino: NStar Should Pay For Losses & Overtime from Back Bay Power Outages

Mayor Thomas Menino said in a press conference Thursday he's "frustrated" by NStar's lag-time to restore power to the Back Bay, and hopes the electric company will reimburse $85,000 in city overtime costs, and losses incurred by small businesses. 

"I want the shareholders to pay for the costs of this accident," Menino told said. "Not the ratepayers."

Thursday afternoon there were also reports of explosions at several downtown manholes.

He also plans to establish a panel of energy experts that will review NStar generators, and said the city is working with the state Department of Public Utilities to investigate the cause of Tuesday's transformer fire.

The four-alarm fire at 6:30 p.m. poured a blanket of thick black smoke over the neighborhood, and cut power to about 21,000 customers in the surrounding area. 

NStar kept extending deadlines as to when the power would be back up, saying it was a complicated procedure. The electric company brought in about 60 generators stations across the neighborhood, and had to dig up many Back Bay streets to access underground cables.

"This is only temporary," Menino said. "What are the permanent repairs moving forward."

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Boston police will remain on scene to direct traffic and maintain safety. While some traffic lights are on, "they've been on and off and spotty within the last 24 hours," he said.