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An island-wide power cut caused chaos in Guernsey at rush hour this morning, with works to replace the subsea electricity cable partly to blame.
Guernsey Electricity is in the final stages of replacing part of the cable between Guernsey and Jersey, which ultimately links the island with France.
"As part of these works the subsea cable GJ1 is tuned off for short periods to allow safe working adjacent to to the cable," explained Chief Executive of Guernsey Electricity, Alan Bates. "During this time, we use the generators at the power station to maintain supplies to the island, but this results in less resilience to electricity supply disruptions."
Pictured: Guernsey Electricity's power station in the Vale.
The island's power went down at 09:02 and was restored by generators at the Vale power station by about 09:30.
"We apologise for any disruption caused to customers, and we are now investigating the cause of this power cut," Mr Bates added.
"This event again reinforces the need for Guernsey to have a secure and reliable subsea electricity cable connection to the island. Guernsey Electricity continues to progress a second cable connection direct to France to further enhance the security of electricity supply."
Pictured top: GEL's HQ on the Bridge.
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