Massive power cut hits Italy

BBC News ^ | September 28, 2003

[_Jim]

Something is going on here.

"Physics"

[NormsRevenge]

Italy plunged into darkness during 'White Night'

FRom the Sac Bee

Italy plunged into darkness during 'White Night'

The Associated Press
Last Updated 9:24 p.m. PDT Saturday, September 27, 2003

ROME (AP) - Power went out across Italy before dawn Sunday, plunging the nation into darkness, police and news reports said. Authorities did not immediately know the cause.

The first power outages were reported around 4 a.m. local time in Rome, where the city was celebrating an all-night festival with museums and restaurants open around the clock.

Later, the national electricity company ACEA said power was out across the nation of 57 million, the ANSA news agency said.

"As far as we know it's all across Italy," police official Franca Sesti Miraglia said in Rome.

"We don't know the cause yet," she said.

ANSA said that hundreds of people attending the all-night "White Night" festivities in Rome were stuck in subways due to the blackout. Police could not immediately confirm the report.

"We're not aware of anything really serious. There are some problems," Sesti Miraglia said, without giving details. "With the 'White Night,' there were many people out."

Italy was hit with partial power cuts in June, when people - suffering in the scorching summer - overloaded the system with air conditioners and other electricity-guzzling appliances. That was the first time in more than 20 years that the national operator of the electrical grid ordered power cuts.

Authorities have repeatedly said that power demand is growing faster than supply and that imported electricity would not make up for insufficient production in the long term.

By 6 a.m. local time (midnight EDT) power was still out, and authorities had not yet announced an explanation.

[tubavil]

Later, the national electricity company ACEA said power was out across the nation of 57 million, the ANSA news agency said.

That's significant.

[_Jim]

"Outages" in the use of over 50,000 customers or loss of over (about) 200 MW os load is required to be reported.

Here is a summary for a few select years as shown:


- - - - - -



1996
System
Disturbances

In 1996, utilities reported 29 incidents of system disturbances, demand reductions, voltage reductions, public
appeals, or unusual occurrences, seven more than were reported in 1995. These incidents are categorized as:

- Sixteen system interruptions
- Four unusual occurrences
- One demand reduction
- Two voltage reductions and public appeals
- Two voltage reductions and demand reductions
- Four voltage reductions

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

No report prepared for 1997

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

1998
System
Disturbances


In 1998, utilities reported 63 incidents of system disturbances, demand reductions, voltage
reductions, public appeals, or other occurrences. These incidents are categorized as:

- Forty-six system interruptions
- Five unusual occurrences
- One demand reduction
- Three public appeals
- Three voltage reductions
- One voltage reduction and interruption
- Four public appeals and interruptions



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

1999
System
Disturbances


In 1999, utilities in the United States and Canada reported 36 incidents of system interruptions,
demand reductions, voltage reductions, public appeals, or unusual occurrences. These
incidents are categorized as:

- Twenty-one system interruptions
- Nine unusual occurrences (no customer interruption)
- Two public appeals
- Two public appeals and interruptions
- One public appeal and voltage reduction
- One public appeal followed by a voltage reduction and interruption



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

2000
System
Disturbances


In 2000, utilities in the United States and Canada reported 58 incidents of system
interruptions, unusual occurrences, demand and voltage reductions, or public appeals. These
incidents are categorized as:

- Thirty-five system interruptions
- Seventeen unusual occurrences (no customer interruption)
- Two voltage reductions
- Two public appeals
- Two public appeals and system interruptions

Causes of Disturbances

Almost half (28 out of 58) of the disturbances reported to DOE
and NERC during 2000 were related to severe weather.

Personnel related actions were the cause of 12 incidents, a
statistic that the Working Group is concerned about.

The third major cause (ten incidents) of disturbances was
equipment failure, in one form or another.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


2001
System
Disturbances

In 2001, utilities in the United States and Canada reported 50 incidents of system
interruptions, unusual occurrences, demand and voltage reductions, or public appeals.
These incidents are categorized as:

- Twenty-five system interruptions
- Twenty-one unusual occurrences (no customer interruption)
- Two voltage reductions
- Two demand reductions

[_Jim]

power was out across the nation of 57 million

About equivalent to the NE Blackout on August 14th ...

TWICE the size of the 1965 NE Blackout ...

[PatrioticAmerican]

Our power grid is wide open. A chopper crashed into ours near my home a few years back. It was a mess. A few pounds of explosives or a gas powered cutter is all a raghead needs to do serious damage.

[Lijahsbubbe]

AND - how many events (small to major) blackouts occur on average here in the US?

We do know that the last one we had was the largest ever. As for the other countries, I don't recall seeing any news stories about failures this large (most of Italy) and in such a short time frame, and mostly coalition allies. If it's media hype, I'll be glad to be wrong, because, frankly it is unsettling.

[PatrioticAmerican]

I just reviewed our previous exchange on this subject. Greece in March. someone is practicing, IMHO.

[_Jim]

A few pounds of explosives or a gas powered cutter is all a raghead needs to do serious damage.

Not really ... most of these circuits are REDUNDANT through OTHER PATHS (since this is, after a power 'grid') if one is lost.

IT HAPPENS al the time.

The most frequent cause is lightning, not ragheads. It would take a BIG coordinated effort to have any noticable impact on the public ...

THE BIGGEST problem is the operators of the systmes themselves - like the guys who allowed the Con Ed system in New York on July 1977 to collpase ...

[Chad Fairbanks]

Hmmm... that's interesting, especially in Europe where teh headline would normally read 'Power Cut Hits France' - which is why they whine so much in their irrelevance ;0)

[_Jim]

I don't recall seeing any news stories about failures this large (most of Italy) and in such a short time frame, and mostly coalition allies.

On the basis of NO EVIDENCE whatsoever. Just pure speculation.

You know, the transcripts of what went on in the Midwest ISO (MISO) are online - have you read them? The MISO is the ISO that was coordinating power transmission operations in hte midwest in and around First Energy - the one who basically contributed *most* (if not outright CAUSED) the backout that day (Aug 14).

There are even prepared graphics showing the power flow around Lake Erie in the final few minutes that day as the system collpased starting in the First Energy area in Ohio.

The link in my tagline points to a website that contains a WEALTH of info gathered by those who teach and study the field of power generation and transmission.

[Dixielander]

"It happens all the time in Italy."

It does?

[null and void]

It would take a BIG coordinated effort to have any noticable impact on the public ...

Define "Big". Is big hundreds of interuptions, or a couple trees?

Keep in mind 9/11 had 19 people that we know of on the edge of the sword.

Say teams of three sappers each, could six teams concentrating on choke points do it? How about ten teams?

Are there less than 30 people sneaking accross the border every day?

[_Jim]

Keep in mind 9/11 had 19 people that we know of on the edge of the sword.

They were lucky beyond belief. They *also* only scored 100% with two planes - I say the Pentagon hit was a secondary target since the lost visual on the primary SO they only scored 50%, overall, on that day ...

[_Jim]

Define "Big"

COULDN'T be done.

The only reason we had trouble on the 14th was a) control room in First Energy was 'blind' due to (my synopsis) network congestion as was b) the Midwest ISO (MISO) ...

Oh yea, and it was warm and muggy that day. And a 580 MW coal burner at the Eastlake facility went out about 2 hours earlier tapping other resources through 'stressed' lines ...

[tubavil]

They were lucky beyond belief

No, they trained and planned for years.

They made the most powerful nation on the planet pull red notebooks out of safes.

[_Jim]

No, they trained and planned for years.

BS.

They were second rate.

50% sucess rate ...

[null and void]

Ahhhhh! The unsinkable power grid!

It can go down by accident, but not by a considered, well thought out, and well executed, deliberate, coördinated act.

Quite an engineering acheivement!

One might even say an engineering acheivement of Titanic proportions!

[_Jim]

They made the most powerful nation on the planet pull red notebook

They nearly succeeded in '93 - with FERTILIZER!

This 'plan' they had was really a no-brainer. The selection of the method to obtain control of the aircraft was novel ...

[_Jim]

Quite an engineering acheivement!

EACH and every day.

IT TOOK trouble from within like the follwoing blackoutrs: NE in 1965, like New York in July 1977.

See, the trouble is, YOU guys don't study these PREVIOUS events that have ALREADY occurred and give INSIGHT as to how these things CAN and DO happen.