UK energy operator probes unexplained power plant outages just hours before Spain & Portugal blackouts
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BRITAIN's electricity grid operator is investigating mystery outages in the UK's system hours before Spain and Portugal were plunged into blackouts.
The control room staff at the National Energy System Operator (Neso) noticed suspicious activity on Sunday.
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Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity in Ronda, Spain
Credit: Reuters
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A worker assists a customer with a torch at a supermarket during a power outage which hit large parts of Spain
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Travellers were stranded amid travel chaos
Credit: Alamy
It confirmed there were unexpected shifts in the power frequency in the early morning and the evening.
A steady frequency within certain limits is vital to keeping power flowing.
The first problem in the UK, around 2am, was an outage at the Keadby 2 gas-fired power plant in Lincolnshire.
That was followed by the unexplained failure of the Viking Link interconnector between the UK and Denmark.
Neso, which manages the British grid, told The Telegraph that officials are investigating the cause.
It comes as power was almost fully restored to Spain and Portugal on Tuesday.
Many questions remain about what caused one of Europe's most severe blackouts.
Spain has launched a sabotage investigation into the devastating power outages based on two mysterious "events".
The national grid released a timeline of the colossal blackout that has set alarm bells ringing - with cyberterrorism being considered.
Suspicions were raised of a Russian sabotage attack almost immediately after the power failed, following a campaign of similar plots to hit Europe.
Spain and Portugal power outage – Sweeping blackouts shut down internet & grind transport to a halt
Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, said a cyber attack was the most likely cause - and claimed that everything pointed towards a deliberate scheme.
Officials have scrambled to offer an explanation in the chaotic 24 hours since the outage - ranging from a freak weather event to complications with net-zero power generation.
Red Eléctrica de España, Spain's electricity board, produced a report showing an event that caused "losses of power generation" at 12:33pm - followed by another just 1.5 seconds later.
And the network between Spain and France was interrupted 3.5 seconds after that - leading to the widespread collapse of the supply.
Based on the information, National Court judge José Luis Calama opened up an investigation to determine whether sabotage and cyberterrorism were at play.
He demanded a more detailed preliminary report from the grid and investigators within ten days.
He added that while the root of the blackout is still unknown, "cyber terrorism is among the possibilities".
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Police cars patrol traffic caused by dead traffic lights in Madrid
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