Switching station explosion caused mass power cut that affected 50,000 properties

THE ESB have launched an investigation into the cause of a major power outage that cut power to 50,000 customers in Kerry last Friday morning.

Power to homes and business across the county was cut off just after 9am on Friday following when a busbar conductor system exploded at the switching station in Laharn on the outskirts of Tralee.

The explosion at the station – one of the ESB’s main switching stations in Kerry – knocked out power in Tralee, Killarney, Castleisland and most of south and west Kerry.

A large ESB crew was immediately dispatched to the scene and they were able to restore power to all affected areas by 10.20am, a little over and hour after the incident at Laharn.

Power in many areas, including the majority of Tralee, had been restored within half an hour.

There were unusual scenes in Tralee town when, as power began to return, security alarms were set off in an eerie cascading chain that rang out across the town.

While no one was hurt in the explosion and all power was restored quickly the ESB said the incident was a rare but major fault and as a result an in depth investigation of the cause will be carried out.

Much of the equipment at Laharn switching station was severely damaged and significant repairs are required there.

While most of the county lost power neither University Hospital Kerry or the Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee were affected as both have their own emergency back up power systems to ensure patient care isn’t jeopardised by a power loss.

The ESB’s quick reaction to the incident and the speed with which power was restored have been widely praised in the wake of the incident.