Government launches probe into massive power cut
The government has launched an investigation into the power outage that wreaked havoc for nearly 1m people across England and Wales over the weekend.
People were left stranded after trains were delayed and cancelled, leaving commuters unable to get home from work on Friday. The disruption carried on into Saturday.
Read more: UK power cut: Ofgem demands blackout explanation as disruption continues
National Grid blamed the blackout on issues with two power generators occurring simultaneously and said it had been quickly resolved, with power restored by 6:30pm.
Industry experts say a gas-fired power station at Little Barford, Bedfordshire, failed shortly before the offshore wind farm at Hornsea disconnected from the grid, resulting in the blackout.
Regulator Ofgem immediately demanded an “urgent detailed report” to explain what went wrong and to assess whether it will take enforcement action, which could include a fine.
Andrea Leadsom, the business secretary, said: “Friday’s power outages caused enormous disruption – National Grid must urgently review and report to Ofgem. I will also be commissioning the government’s Energy Emergencies Executive Committee to consider the incident.”
The probe will look into whether there will any technical performance issues across the power system and whether National Grid followed process correctly. It will also examine whether National Grid communicated the problem effectively to the public.