2003 Italy blackout
Encyclopedia
The 2003 Italy blackout was a serious power outage
that affected all of Italy
—except the islands of Sardinia
and Capri
—for 12 hours and part of Switzerland
near Geneva
for 3 hours on 28 September 2003. It was the largest blackout in the series of blackouts in 2003, affecting a total of 56 million people. It was also the most serious blackout in Italy in 70 years.
, stated that the power line which supplied electricity to Italy from Switzerland
was damaged by storms, causing it to trip and also the two 400kV power lines between France
and Italy to trip due to sudden increased demand from those two power lines. The cascading effect
disrupted power supply to Italy from France and Switzerland. ENEL lost control of the grid in the next 4 seconds, with the lines tripped one by one amid the cascading effect. Swiss electricity company ATEL
later concurred that a power line between Switzerland and Italy went out for a few hours.
in Rome
, the capital of Italy. Thus, many people were on the streets and all public transportation were still operating at the time of the blackout (at about 03:00 on 28 September 2003) despite the fact that it was very late at night. The blackout caused the carnival to end early. Several hundred people were trapped in underground
trains. Coupled with heavy rain at the time, many people spent the night sleeping in train stations and on streets in Rome.
Throughout Italy, 110 trains were canceled, with 30,000 people stranded on trains. All flights in Italy were also cancelled. Police described the scene as chaos but there were no serious accidents.
The blackout, however, did not spread further to neighbouring countries, such as Austria
, Slovenia
and Croatia
, which are connected to Italy. Only part of the Geneva Canton
of Switzerland suffered a power outage for three hours.
s continued to affect about 5% of the population on the next two days (29-30 September) as the electricity company ENEL continued its effort to restore supply.
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
that affected all of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
—except the islands of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
—for 12 hours and part of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
near Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
for 3 hours on 28 September 2003. It was the largest blackout in the series of blackouts in 2003, affecting a total of 56 million people. It was also the most serious blackout in Italy in 70 years.
Causes
Power went off at about 03:20 hrs. local time on 28 September 2003. Initial reports from Italy's electricity supplier, ENELEnel
Enel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
, stated that the power line which supplied electricity to Italy from Switzerland
Lukmanier Powerline
The Mettlen–Lavorgo powerline, also called the Lukmanier powerline, is the 400 kV three-phase alternating current high voltage electric power transmission line over the Lukmanier Pass in Switzerland, from Mettlen to Lavorgo. Trees falling on the line in 2003 caused a major blackout in...
was damaged by storms, causing it to trip and also the two 400kV power lines between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy to trip due to sudden increased demand from those two power lines. The cascading effect
Cascading failure
A cascading failure is a failure in a system of interconnected parts in which the failure of a part can trigger the failure of successive parts.- Cascading failure in power transmission :...
disrupted power supply to Italy from France and Switzerland. ENEL lost control of the grid in the next 4 seconds, with the lines tripped one by one amid the cascading effect. Swiss electricity company ATEL
Atel
Aţel is a commune in Sibiu County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Aţel and Dupuş. The commune first appears in written history in 1283 as villa Echelini. Later appearances in written documents are villa Heclini , Hetzelini villa and villa Eczlen , Ecczel , and Heczeldorf...
later concurred that a power line between Switzerland and Italy went out for a few hours.
Effects
The night of 27 September 2003 is the night of the annual overnight Nuit BlancheNuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival. A Nuit Blanche will typically have museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the city itself being turned into a de facto art gallery, providing space for...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the capital of Italy. Thus, many people were on the streets and all public transportation were still operating at the time of the blackout (at about 03:00 on 28 September 2003) despite the fact that it was very late at night. The blackout caused the carnival to end early. Several hundred people were trapped in underground
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
trains. Coupled with heavy rain at the time, many people spent the night sleeping in train stations and on streets in Rome.
Throughout Italy, 110 trains were canceled, with 30,000 people stranded on trains. All flights in Italy were also cancelled. Police described the scene as chaos but there were no serious accidents.
The blackout, however, did not spread further to neighbouring countries, such as Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, which are connected to Italy. Only part of the Geneva Canton
Canton of Geneva
The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France. As is the case in several other Swiss cantons The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland,...
of Switzerland suffered a power outage for three hours.
Restoration of service
After 3 hours, energy was restored in northern regions. Electricity was restored gradually in most places, and in most cities electricity were powered on again during the morning. Rolling blackoutRolling blackout
A rolling blackout, also referred to as load shedding, is an intentionally-engineered electrical power outage where electricity delivery is stopped for non-overlapping periods of time over geographical regions. Rolling blackouts are a last-resort measure used by an electric utility company in order...
s continued to affect about 5% of the population on the next two days (29-30 September) as the electricity company ENEL continued its effort to restore supply.
External links
- BBC News Online: Huge blackout cripples Italy
- Official Swiss government report (.pdf, 171 KB) from 01.Nov.2003
- National blackout in Italy (Appledaily Hong Kong) (in ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
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