London Blackout Blamed on Drop in Wind and Natural-Gas Power
- Pumped hydropower capacity surged immediately following outage
- Power cut led to disruption on rail lines, traffic lights
People walk in darkness at Clapham Junction station in London on Aug. 9.
Photographer: Yui Mok/PA Images
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London and surrounding areas suffered a widespread power outage Friday during the evening rush hour after windpower and natural gas generation levels dropped, according to data from network manager National Grid Plc.
“Today what happened is a major offshore wind generation site and a gas turbine failed at the same time,” said Devrim Celal, chief executive officer of Upside Energy in London, which contracts with National Grid to help balance electricity. “There was a significant shortage of generation, and that sudden drop created ripple effects across the country.”