Gibraltar experienced a complete blackout just before midnight on Sunday, marking the second power outage in the span of 10 days. The culprit behind this disruption was identified as a fault in one of the North Mole power station's two transformer enclosures.

The Gibraltar Electricity Authority (GEA) revealed that the incident generated a loud bang and visible smoke in the vicinity of the power station. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among GEA employees, thanks to the effective electrical protection in place. However, the fault triggered an interruption in the 'in-house' power supply to crucial power station auxiliaries, leading to a complete shutdown of the entire power plant.

Quick action was taken by the GEA, as the second transformer – equipped to power all station auxiliaries – was swiftly configured and brought online. Engineers commenced the power restoration process shortly after 1 am, and by 1:58 am, power had been successfully reinstated for all customers.

The GEA emphasized the importance of having multiple power transformers, highlighting their role in mitigating the impact of a single transformer failure. An investigation into the cause of the malfunction has already commenced, with the GEA expressing intentions to collaborate with the equipment manufacturer. The authority extended apologies for any inconvenience caused and thanked the community for their continued support.

Source: chronicle.gi