Copper Theft Attempt Causes Power Outage in Las Vegas, Affects Airport

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A suspected copper wire theft at an NV Energy substation caused a power outage affecting 12 customers and temporarily disrupting operations at Harry Reid International Airport on Monday afternoon.

The outage began around 3:15 p.m. and impacted Terminal 3 at the airport, where a backup generator kicked in to maintain operations. Security doors remained functional during the incident. NV Energy crews responded promptly, restoring power to most customers by 4:44 p.m., though one customer remained without power as of 6:15 p.m.

“In 2024, NV Energy doubled down on efforts to ensure all suspected copper thefts are reported to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Our teams also take precautions and work to ensure our facilities are secure and are not easily accessible by potential thieves,” an NV Energy spokesperson said.

Harry Reid International Airport experienced a separate outage around 6:45 p.m., affecting the C gates in Terminal 1. Power was fully restored by 8:20 p.m., according to an airport spokesperson. It remains unclear if the two outages were related.

The incident caused minor delays to flights, primarily due to the slow restoration of power to select doors, which impacted passenger onboarding. NV Energy’s preliminary investigation points to copper wire theft as the cause of the substation outage, though the investigation is ongoing.