-
Fréjus Tunnel that connects France and Italy to close this weekend
The tunnel will close for 12 hours and not the 56 hours originally announced
-
TotalEnergies opens service station for electric vehicles in Paris
It is the first of its kind in the capital and has ultra-fast charging
-
Conductors on French public transport will soon be able to check your address
Move is part of anti-fraud plans to prevent people from giving false information during fines including on SNCF trains
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”.
Related stories
France’s oldest nuclear power plant is now closed
The eco-friendly French family preparing to live 'off-grid'
Houses in France struck by lightning as storm alerts remain