UK power blackout hits thousands- nine power plants go off-line
Pastor Dale Morgan
UK power blackout hits thousands*
By Ian King
Business Editor
Published: 28 May 2008
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HUNDREDS of thousands of homes and businesses suffered power cuts.
The chaos came after NINE of Britain’s power plants broke down, forcing
the National Grid to ask distributors to reduce electricity to customers.
The alert — known in the power industry as a Demand Control Imminent —
is the second most serious the Grid can issue.
The cuts hit homes and firms in London, the North East and North West
England.
The cuts also caused road chaos in the capital as scores of traffic
lights were put out of action.
Cheshire and Merseyside were hit — along with 100,000 buildings in the
North East.
Plants which shut down included Sizewell B nuclear station in Suffolk
and Cottam-3 near Retford, Notts.
A spokesman for the Grid said: "We have had nine power stations break
down today. The market has responded."
But David Hunter, energy analyst at consultancy McKinnon & Clarke, said
the cuts highlighted an urgent need for more power plants as
infrastructure was "crumbling".
He claimed: "The Government’s inability to make long-term energy
security decisions over the past decade is coming home to roost.
"The lack of political will to make tough decisions has left Britain
short of power."
He said new nuclear and coal power stations should be built, adding: "We
do not have the luxury of time."