Monkey Triggers Nationwide Kenyan Power Blackout
- Transformer shutdown results in 180-megawatt loss to grid
- KenGen says generation normalised, nationwide supply restored
The vervet monkey at Kenya Electricity Generating Co.'s hydroelectric plant.
Source: Kenya Electricity Generating Co.This article is for subscribers only.
A vervet monkey triggered a nationwide blackout in Kenya after it fell onto a transformer at one of the nation’s main hydroelectric plants, Kenya Electricity Generating Co. said.
The monkey climbed on to the roof of the Gitaru facility and may have been thrown off balance and onto a transformer, tripping the equipment and causing an overload on other machines at the plant, according to a statement e-mailed by the Nairobi-based power generator, known as KenGen. The animal survived the incident, it said.