RTV Utrecht: Power Outage in Nieuwegein

All households in Nieuwegein have power again. Around 11:00 p.m., all customers were reconnected to the regular grid, Stedin reports.

Step by step, everyone was reconnected to the main grid on Friday evening. Around 10:30 p.m., about 600 households in the city center were still without power. That morning, the number was still 17,000.

Live report by Ulrike Nagel for RTV Utrecht in 2012.

Summary

In this video, Ulrike Nagel reports on a large-scale power outage in Nieuwegein, caused by lightning strikes on two transformer stations, and its impact on the city.

• • Extent of the Outage [00:19]: A large part of Nieuwegein—about 70% to 80% of the city—is without power, affecting approximately 17,000 households. Reporter Ulrike Nagel is at the Nieuwegein town hall to cover the story.

• Repair Work [00:40]: Grid operator Stedin is working around the clock to restore power. They are inspecting the grid and have a “generator plan” to resolve the outage as quickly as possible. However, the damage is significant, which means it will take longer than initially expected [00:54]. Emergency generators are being installed, but it is still unclear when they will be operational [02:02].
• Impact on the City [01:19]: Although 80% of Vreeswijk has power again, the problems in the rest of Nieuwegein are significant. Bridges and traffic lights are not functioning, and parking garages are out of service. A collision this morning highlighted the immediate dangers of the outage [01:30]. Elevators cannot be used, which is causing problems for apartment residents and people in wheelchairs [01:40]. Mayor Bakhuis emphasizes that dependence on electricity makes society “disruptive” [02:30].
• Press conference [02:46]: A press conference scheduled for 1:00 p.m. is expected to provide more clarity, as little concrete information has been available so far.

Background

The outage began Thursday around 9:15 p.m., when lightning struck a transformer station on Utrechthaven. This caused a power outage in several neighborhoods. Around 12:30 a.m., power also went out in other parts of Nieuwegein, leaving approximately 70 percent of the city without electricity. Only the neighborhoods of Galecop, Blokhoeve, and parts of Batau-Noord were spared.

REPAIRS

Repairing the grid took the entire day. According to Stedin, it took so long to restore power because the grid had sustained very severe damage in multiple locations. Two transformer stations were completely out of service.

The possible discovery of asbestos delayed Stedin’s work at one of the damaged substations. Employees feared that asbestos had been released and raised the alarm. On Friday afternoon, an investigation confirmed that this was not the case, and work could resume.

EMERGENCY GENERATORS

Throughout Friday morning, emergency generators were set up throughout the city, including at care centers. During a press conference held by the municipality and Stedin on Friday afternoon, Mayor Backhuijs stated that vulnerable groups in Nieuwegein were not at risk due to the power outage.

The major power outage in Nieuwegein did, however, create a concerning situation in the Chicagoflat apartment building. A kidney dialysis patient living on the thirteenth floor had to be brought down by the fire department because the elevator was not working. Residents were also left without drinking water.

The Antonius Hospital experienced a brief power outage on Thursday evening. The emergency power system kicked in quickly, after which the situation was back under control. Backhuijs called on the residents of Nieuwegein to help one another as much as possible.

POLICE

The police conducted extra patrols in the neighborhoods where the power had gone out. Emergency services handled calls from people needing help who dialed the emergency number 1-1-2 more flexibly.

The cell phone network was briefly overloaded on Friday due to a number of cell towers going offline. This did not result in widespread service outages. The landline network remained stable.

Stedin has announced that residential customers who are without electricity for more than four hours will automatically receive compensation. Businesses should consult their own insurance providers and may contact Stedin.