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Power cut in west France affects 272,000 homes
More than 270,000 households were left without power in the centre-west of France last night (Thursday September 3) after a massive electricity fault in the Indre department.
Households were affected across Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Corrèze (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) and Indre (Centre-Val-de-Loire) for more than two hours, according to network manager RTE.
Haute-Vienne was most affected (with 163,000 households) followed by Indre (54,000), Creuse (53,000) and Corrèze (2,400).
The fault began at 21:26. It was caused by a fault at the electrical substation in Eguzon (Indre).
In several tweets aimed at updating customers on the situation, RTE en Sud-Ouest said that its teams were working with electricity supplier Enedis to “do as much as possible to establish the connection”.
Depuis 21h26, 270 000 foyers privés d'#électricité dans la Haute Vienne (163 000 foyers), la #Creuse (53000 ), l'#Indre (54000) et la #Corrèze (2400). Les équipes de @rte-ouest et @enedis font leur maximum pour rétablir le courant. @lepopulaire_fr @FBCreuse @larep_fr #coupure pic.twitter.com/eDF5AHo6jB
— RTE en Sud-Ouest (@RTE_SudOuest) September 3, 2020
But for more than two hours, residents were plunged into near-total darkness, including in the towns of Limoges (Haute-Vienne) and Châteauroux (Indre).
A #panazol et sur une partie de #Limoges et Feytiat, immense coupure d'électricité. Seule la clinique Chenieux brille au loin... pic.twitter.com/Qq2Eeo721b
— Sébastien Dubois (@Sebastish) September 3, 2020
Some households began to report that their power was back on before 23:00, with RTE confirming “the end of the power cut” at a quarter to midnight (23:44). It apologised to its customers for the “momentary inconvenience”.
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