TWO OF THE Aran Islands, Inis Oirr and Inis Meáin, will be without power until at least Monday because of a fault with an undersea cable.

Residents of all three islands first lost power at 4am this morning.

ESB crews have managed to restore power on Inis Mór but 372 customers on the other two islands will be without power until a specialist generator is connected.

It is not expected that this will be completed until Monday at the earliest.

The ESB says that a generator is currently en route to the Connemara harbour of Ros a Mhíl and it is hoped that the generator will be loaded onto a barge tomorrow morning.

A statement by ESB says that this operation will require specialist lifting equipment both on the mainland and over on Inis Oirr.

“A specialist transformer required to supply power from the generator has been sourced in the UK and also en route to Rossaveal,” the ESB adds.

So we hope to have the generator on Inis Oírr tomorrow but this will depend on seas. Even with the generator in place tomorrow, the estimated restore time remains Monday at the earliest.

The generator is a temporary solution while the undersea cables are being repaired with island residents advised to contact their doctor if they have medical devices that need power.

Read: What will become of the Aran Islands now that their airplane service is gone? >

Read: Ferry water deliveries continue to Aran Island as drinking water shortage rolls on >