Egypt power cut halts trains, disrupts TV programming

Thursday’s blackout was longer and more wide-ranging than usual, and came just days after officials had claimed progress in alleviating the crisis.

CAIRO // An hours-long power cut in Cairo and across Egypt halted many subway trains and knocked several TV channels off the air on Thursday, in what the electricity minister said was a rare event caused by a technical failure that occurs every 15 years.

Egypt suffered from regular rolling blackouts throughout the summer which left parts of the city in darkness for hours at a time.

But Thursday’s blackout was longer and more wide-ranging, and came just days after officials had claimed progress in alleviating the crisis.

The cause of the power cut remained unclear.

Mohammed Shakir, the electricity minister, said that electricity would be restored within hours and that the ministry would investigate the power cut.

Earlier, officials said the power cut took place as the ministry was carrying out an experiment in redistributing electricity, saying a technical failure during the “manoeuvre” caused the blackout.

However, Mohammed Al Yamani, the spokesman for the electricity ministry, claimed the power cut was caused by routine “maintenance” work.

He said the ministry would grant priority to vital institutions and hospitals as it works to restore power.

The sudden power cut at 6am caused widespread frustration and led TV commentators to urge Egypt’s prime minister to sack the electricity minister.

Others accused Islamists’ in the ranks of the ministry as plotting the crisis, something officials ruled out.

Television networks showed metro stations packed with commuters after trains stopped because of the electricity cut. The spokesman for the city’s metro system, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, said the trains connecting Cairo’s southern suburbs to the city centre were halted.

The government recently promised to end the blackouts in four months, partially blaming the power cuts on attacks by saboteurs on electrical lines. Over the past week there had been a noticeable reduction in the cuts, coinciding with slightly cooler temperatures after a scorching August.

The energy crunch is linked to shrinking revenues and Egypt’s inability to pay off debts to foreign oil companies.

* Associated Press