Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Privatised UK Energy Infrastructure Creaking from Underinvestment
Blackouts hit thousands as generators fail
Electricity blackouts hit the UK Tuesday when six power stations shut down with the unscheduled stoppages being seen as an unprecedented sign of the fragility of Britain’s power infrastructure. Operations were cancelled, people were stuck in lifts, traffic lights failed and fire engines sent out on false alarms. Householders were unable to use any appliances or make phone-calls as the blackouts hit areas including Cleveland, Cheshire, Lincolnshire and London. The cause has not revealed with power stations failing across the country as far apart as Essex and Fife.
Posted by enuii @ 11:37 PM (1121 views)
6 thoughts on “Privatised UK Energy Infrastructure Creaking from Underinvestment”
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sold 2 rent 1 says:
“One power company insider said that such an incident had not happened in the past ten years. After two power stations suddenly shut down within minutes of one another at midday, nine “generating units” also shut, and at least four other power stations suffered failures throughout the day. Wholesale electricity prices soared 35 per cent to £95 per megawatt hour, a new record, immediately after the cuts.”
Three words: fifth night destruction
icarus says:
Utilities bought because of their cashflow by spivs via leveraged buy-outs, the utility being bought used as collateral for the loan to buy it, the spivs bringing very little cash of their own to the party. Underinvestment was built in from the start.
sovietuk says:
“Wholesale electricity prices soared 35 per cent to £95 per megawatt hour, a new record, immediately after the cuts.”
Just wait for the BBC to seize on this – “Electricty blackouts boost Energy company profits” will be the headline. Housing, petrol, food, electricity, water – you name it, there’s always some little spiv trying to make a quick buck out of the most basic things.
Maihem says:
This is either internal sabotage (infiltrated staff or conspiracy) or an internet based hack of the controlling computer systems.
Cristiano Barbaro says:
Well, it’s all coming home to roost dear friends. In the last three to four years I have had my doubts about the validity of our Western economic/financial model, having increasingly been thinking that in some other way (like a mirror) we were just as rotten as the failed soviet economic model. Perhaps I am going to be proved right?
Years of under investment in technology (and real employment)-driving infrastructure. But a bloating service sector and financial speculation dressed up as “growth”. I think this one and the next will be the decade where the cards will be laid out on the table. The de-population-genocidal, de-industrialization, faction financed by some of the wealthiest centres in the West (and run by the 68er generation) will reap its rewards. Hopefully the rest of the population will boot them out of power as soon as possible and re-establish some sort of tradition based on valuing hard engineering peronnell, industrial and scientific progress, as vital cornerstones of the continued growth of any nation.
In short, I think the speculators will increasingly find that no matter how much paper money they collect, by “investing” in oil/food/biofuels, it will be increasingly wiped out by the mounting inflation and the subsequent increasing collapse of the real underlying physical economy below them.
But it will be up to the people to wake up and boot them out. The leeches at the top are very happy to make us die for the sake of their carbon free economy (another hoax – carbon dioxide is not noxious, it’s good for plants, and there should be more of it).
landofconfusion says:
> After two power stations suddenly shut down
If demand is high and you lose power generating units then the system will isolate (shut down) parts of the grid to prevent cascading power failures from spreading throughout the grid.
> Householders were unable to use any appliances or make phone-calls
That’s funny. The phone system is supposed to have a backup power supply so that people can still dial 999 etc in the event of an emergency.
> 3. sovietuk said…
>
> Just wait for the BBC to seize on this – “Electricty blackouts boost Energy company profits” will be the headline.
You’ve got to be joking.
BrownThe BBC will never allow that sort of headline to go out. Got to look after corporate interests.