330.000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES HIT BY POWER CUT

Staff reporter HUNDREDS of thousands of people were left without power for more than four hours yesterday as the whole of Majorca was struck by a massive power cut, leaving scores of people trapped in lifts and angry local businesses demanding more investment from power company GESA and that the local government revises its energy plan. GESA said last night the cause of the power cut was unknown but just minutes before the island lost power, the electricity company called on the public to go easy on electricity after demand for power yesterday broke record levels for the seventh time this summer. Majorca's power grid went down at 5.50pm and it wasn't until 7.20pm that the national power company GESA was able to get a limited supply back on line. According to sources close to GESA, a subsidiary of ENDESA, the power cut affected some 330'000 customers, all of whom remained without electricity in towns and villages across Majorca. Gradually, as hours passed, the supply became reconnected in stages. The precise causes of the power cut are still being investigated but GESA technicians have been able to confirm that some moments before 6pm, supplies from the Es Murterar power station in Alcudia were shut off which caused “fluctuation in the system's frequency.” This apparently trigged the installation's safety measures, automatically cutting energy supply to Majorca's power lines”. Emergency service sources said that they had had no reports of significant incidents resulting from the power cut, but firemen had to rescue some thirty people who had become trapped in lifts following the loss of power. Local police officers in most towns and villages across the island had to assist with directing traffic when traffic lights had ceased to function. Public hospitals and Palma airport had continued to function normally due to the back-up power supplies that are available to them. In the centre of Palma, traders had to accept payment from customers in cash and some retail outlets however decided to close because cash tills and security systems were not working. This is the second time in two days that GESA has had to cope with shortcomings of the electricity supply. Last Saturday night, three small explosions occurred at the subsidiary power station in Inca, causing a fire and blackout that left the town without power as the long hot summer starts to put a strain on the island's resources and infrastructure.