Latest news with #powercut
Times
6 days ago
- General
- Times
Is this a good time to buy shares in National Grid?
T his month's official report into the power cut at Heathrow airport in March made uncomfortable reading for National Grid. The company presents itself as the careful custodian of the high-voltage electricity network across England and Wales — yet the report by the National Energy System Operator gives the impression that it has been asleep on the job. The blaze in a transformer at National Grid's North Hyde substation that triggered the chaos was most likely to have been caused, Neso found, by moisture entering equipment known as a bushing, causing a short circuit and the ignition of oil within it. Moisture had been detected in oil samples in July 2018, indicating an 'imminent fault' that needed fixing — yet National Grid failed to do so for seven years. It deferred basic maintenance at the substation and failed to fix a fire suppression system that was found in 2022 to be 'inoperable'. Some 108 of National Grid's 805 transformers nationally are overdue maintenance, the report found, a proportion that's within the company's own limits but raises obvious questions about what risks may be going unaddressed.
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Spanish lawmakers reject Sanchez's power cut bill in major blow
Spanish lawmakers on Tuesday inflicted a major defeat on the Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez by rejecting a law intended to avert a repeat of a huge power cut this year. The government lost a vote on the proposed law by 183 to 165. The far right and far left joined with mainstream opposition parties to counter Sanchez. The government said the proposed law aimed to toughen monitoring of Spain 's electrical system, improve technical checks and take other measures to avoid a repeat of chaos on April 28 when most of the Iberian peninsula lost power for several hours. The law would also have made deadlines more flexible for installing new wind turbines and solar parks. The main conservative opposition People's Party (PP) voted against instead of using an abstention that would have ensured the law passed. Energy companies had pressed for the PP to back the law. But the party has poor relations with the government and would not make a concession. "We do not approve of this government's energy policy, we do not approve of this so-called anti-blackout plan, which is nothing more than an attempt (by the government) to cover up its mistakes and erase its faults," PP deputy Guillermo Mariscal said before the vote. Apparently aware that the law would be rejected, Sanchez, who was on a trip to Montevideo, said just before the vote: "Those who accused us of obscurantism and of not proposing solutions that protect the user, the consumer, and ultimately our country, are the ones who are bringing down" this plan. According to a government report released in June, the April blackout was caused by an overload that caused a chain reaction in the energy system. The report highlighted mistakes by the network operator and some power companies.
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Northeast Ont. power outage set for Sunday for repairs
Hydro One will cut power Sunday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in parts of Nipissing First Nation, North Bay, Sturgeon Falls and nearby communities for infrastructure repairs. Customers advised to turn off sensitive electronics.
The Sun
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
World Matchplay Darts DELAYED by power cut as arena left in darkness during walk-ons for first game of the evening
THE World Matchplay Darts was plunged into darkness after a power cut caused delays at the Winter Gardens venue. Fans had to wait for the lights to come on before the highly-anticipated tournament could get underway after already seeing the first match delayed by 15 minutes. 2 James Wade and Joe Cullen were due to play out the tournament's curtain raiser at 7:10pm, but were delayed in their walkouts for some 15 minutes. And things went even further awry when the lights inside the arena cut out as Wade took to the stage. Fortunately for the World No8, the stage lights remained on so that he could see where he was going. But those in the crowd in Blackpool were sat in darkness after a local power cut had caused the chaos. Fans watching at home couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the incident unfold live on Sky Sports. And one even joked: "Put 50p in the meter". When the action did get back underway it was Wade who kept his cool to ensure a victory and a place in the second round. The Machine breezed past Cullen 10-3, putting up a superb average of 104.44 - his highest in 10 years at Winter Gardens. Wade, who is making his 20th consecutive World Matchplay appearance, spoke after the match about how much playing in Blackpool means to him. He said: "Bloody hell, I've won tournaments with less than that [104.44 average]. Darts legend Bobby George sends stark message to Luke Littler as he warns sensation he can 'go from hero to zero quick' "It is what it is. They [the fans at Winter Gardens] are all interested in darts. They're all listening, they're all watching and that's what makes Blackpool magical. "Everyone is interested in darts. Some of the other venues you don't get that interaction, but here it's great. I'm very excited to be back here".
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Illegal electricity connection' found on street as 10 homes forced to have power cut
An "illegal" electricity connection was discovered on a residential street in Astley Bridge at the weekend. Network operator Electricity North West said its workers came across the illegal piece of work while attending to an unrelated power cut at a home in Thorns Close on Saturday. Work took place on Monday to combat the illegal connection, meaning power was cut from 10 homes on the road, before being restored in the evening. One resident from the street said: "We came back from holiday to find we had no power. More: Marten and Gordon 'had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing', say police More: Man, 50, charged after video emerges of person 'hitching ride' on police van More: Police arrest wanted man after 'issues caused' in neighbourhood "We were given a generator, but, I mean, try getting to sleep at night when that thing is turned on." An Electricity North West spokesperson said: 'On Saturday evening at 6.50pm, we were notified of a power cut affecting one property on Thorns Close and power was restored later that evening. 'During repair work, an unrelated illegal connection was discovered in the area. "Supplies were removed from 10 properties while work took place on Monday and power was restored that evening.' Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment about the incident.
