Major blackout hits Australian city of Darwin

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26526868

Major blackout hits Australian city of Darwin

The northern Australian city of Darwin has been hit by a major blackout, forcing schools to close and knocking out traffic lights.

The power cut, which was caused by a tripped circuit at a sub-station, began in the early hours of Wednesday.

It affected all of Darwin, closing government offices and the bus network.

By mid-morning, power was back on in some suburbs and out-lying areas but thousands of residents and businesses were still waiting, local reports said.

The outage hit the whole of the city of 130,000 and extended more than 300km (185 miles) south to the town of Katherine.

The Northern Territory (NT) government is to hold an inquiry into what happened, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

(continued, rolling blackouts are the harbinger of the peak oil collapse...small parts and expensive - critical fragile vulnerability, clay feet or ceramic...)

[FBM]

If anybody dies as a result, can we say that they were Darwinized?







Sorry.

[pErvinalia]

The biggest uproar this will cause is that people's beer got warm. That's a revolution waiting to start..

[piscator]

So anyone who wants to shut down the dusty little antipodean mom&pop shop that is Oz can just throw the breakers?

[JimC]

So anyone who wants to shut down the dusty little antipodean mom&pop shop that is Oz can just throw the breakers?

Oy!

(mind you, it did seem a little strange that it took so long to fix. They are a bit casual up the Top End...)

[piscator]

So anyone who wants to shut down the dusty little antipodean mom&pop shop that is Oz can just throw the breakers?

Oy!

(mind you, it did seem a little strange that it took so long to fix. They are a bit casual up the Top End...)

Don't try to church it up Jim, you have motorway bridges catch fire down there. And then the remains look like little spindly things that wouldn't pass standards for rinkydink county roads up here. And don't even start with those Outback roads, where you can't drive a land train full of sheep less than a floaty 120kph due to the extreme washboard, except at the river crossings where you all economically leave the bridges out...

"Ausome Australian Engineering Where we do what we can with what we have. Keeping you safe is your concern, Mate."

[FBM]

Sounds a lot like Mississippi, actually.

[laklak]

I predict a riot.

[JimC]

I predict an increase in the birth rate in 9 months...

[Seth]

Numerous reports in the US of deliberate sabotage at power substations all across the country. They are thinking maybe terrorist probes...

Not that I give a damn, I've got my backup generator and 500 gallons of fuel.

[pErvinalia]

Maybe the Darwin one was a practice run for the US.

[JimC]

Numerous reports in the US of deliberate sabotage at power substations all across the country. They are thinking maybe terrorist probes...

Not that I give a damn, I've got my backup generator and 500 gallons of fuel.

Just recently, or over the last few years?

[Seth]

Numerous reports in the US of deliberate sabotage at power substations all across the country. They are thinking maybe terrorist probes...

Not that I give a damn, I've got my backup generator and 500 gallons of fuel.

Just recently, or over the last few years?

In the last year or so. Also evidence of cyber attacks on the power grid control systems, which are unbelievably and criminally derelict in their lack of cyber security. They verified Chinese hackers have been probing the computer networks of power companies for several years now.

[FBM]

The North Koreans are surely behind that.

[JimC]

Numerous reports in the US of deliberate sabotage at power substations all across the country. They are thinking maybe terrorist probes...

Not that I give a damn, I've got my backup generator and 500 gallons of fuel.

Just recently, or over the last few years?

In the last year or so. Also evidence of cyber attacks on the power grid control systems, which are unbelievably and criminally derelict in their lack of cyber security. They verified Chinese hackers have been probing the computer networks of power companies for several years now.

Certainly the power grids of modern industrialised countries represent a large vulnerability, to both damage via natural disasters or deliberate sabotage. I'm sure security in most countries could be a lot better.

I doubt the Darwin example was deliberate sabotage by terrorists - more likely accidental (possibly because of incompetent maintenance) or vandalism. Either way, lessons need to be learned.