Millions hit by power blackout as cold weather increases demand. by Steph Ball
This week saw cold weather descending across much of Europe, after a mild start to the autumn.
Strong winds and heavy falls of snow bought problems first through Sweden and Finland, with blizzards extending south across parts of Germany and into Poland. Cold and icy conditions were also experienced further west across the UK and France.
This cold spell has been blamed for a sudden surge in demand which bought extensive power blackouts yesterday evening across parts of Western Europe. It is thought that the problems began across Germany with the energy company RWE unable to cope as freezing temperatures bought an increasing demand for energy.
The failure of two high voltage lines is then said to have triggered a “domino” affect, as one by one, parts of eastern France, Belgium, Italy and Spain were plunged into darkness.
The power cuts are said to have got as far as Madrid and Valencia. While in France, a local energy company reported loss of power to 5 million homes, almost 10% of the country's population. Although in many parts the power was restored within a short time, it did stay off long enough to cause disruption to some of France's high speed trains.
Electricity demands have been put under increasing pressure in more recent times, not only by the arrival of cold weather but additionally during periods of extreme heat. This massive blackout has shown how vulnerable the system is.
|
|
