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RTV Utrecht: Press Conference Power Outage in Nieuwegein, June 23, 2012
Live report by Ulrike Nagel for RTV Utrecht: Nieuwegein council members removed from press conference. Nieuwegein city council members are unhappy with how the press conference held by Stedin and the municipality on Friday afternoon regarding the major power outage unfolded. Just before the meeting began, Mayor Backhuijs personally escorted the city council members out of the room.
Ulrike Nagel for RTV Utrecht at the press conference
CDA council member Roelof de Wild is surprised by the mayor’s actions. As a representative of the people, De Wild wanted to attend the press conference so he could stay well-informed about the situation in his city.
Once the power outage is over, he intends to revisit the incident. The municipality of Nieuwegein has told the council factions that they must adhere to the press protocol. The De Mol faction has requested access to that protocol.
On Thursday evening, power went out in two-thirds of the municipality after lightning struck the two transformer stations that supply electricity to Nieuwegein.
This video by Ulrike Nagel covers a press conference in Nieuwegein following a large-scale power outage caused by lightning strikes on two transformer stations during heavy thunderstorms.
Extent of the Outage: The lightning strike affected 70% to 80% of the city of Nieuwegein, which amounts to about 17,000 households. Grid operator Stedin and the municipality are working hard to resolve the issues.
Press Conference and Initial Findings [00:30]: During the press conference, attended by Mayor Bakhuis of Nieuwegein and Mr. Blom of Stedin, it was reported that 80% of Vreeswijk (a part of Nieuwegein) already has power again. However, the most significant problems and the extent of the damage were not yet fully clear that morning [00:50].
Impact on Businesses [02:50]: The power outage is having a major impact on businesses. Stores cannot open, and businesses such as butchers and bakers are struggling with perishable fresh products and are unable to carry out their work [02:56]. Bas van Meenen, owner of a convenience store, expects losses of between €10,000 and €15,000 in products and, for the time being, can only restock the shelves in the dark [03:20].
Repair Work and Emergency Power [01:41]: Stedin is implementing a “generator plan” and inspecting the grid to repair the damage. They are working hard, but the repairs will take longer than initially expected [02:08]. Emergency generators have been installed, including at the hospital. Some parts of Nieuwegein were not affected by the outage or are already reconnected to (emergency) power [05:11].
Waiting to see [05:06]: Despite these efforts, the exact status of the situation and the pace of the repairs remain unclear.
