Electricity News

Power restored in Pakistan after nationwide blackout

By AFP

Islamabad - Power supply was restored across Pakistan Sunday after the country was hit by a massive electricity blackout, officials said.

Pakistan hit by nationwide power blackout

By AFP

Islamabad - Pakistan was hit by a massive power blackout early Sunday, officials said, with much of the country, including all major cities, plunged into darkness.

Syria blackout after suspected pipeline attack

By AFP

Damascus - A suspected attack on a pipeline in Syria caused a nationwide blackout overnight, the state news agency quoted authorities as saying Monday.

Sri Lanka rations power after Chinese generator crashes during blackout

By AFP

Colombo - Sri Lanka on Tuesday said electricity would be rationed across the island, after a Chinese-built coal power generator shut down during an hours-long nationwide blackout.

Five questions about Ethiopia's controversial Nile dam

By AFP

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia said this week it had hit its first-year target for filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a concrete colossus 145 metres (475 feet) high that has fuelled tensions with downstream nations for nearly a decade.

Uproar as Uganda pursues plan to dam waterfall in national park

By AFP

Ndaro - The boat edged as close as possible to the deafening surge of water roaring over Murchison Falls, giving tourists a hair-raising shot of one of Africa's awesome and terrifying natural spectacles.

The end of the fossil fuel era could be on the horizon

By Karen Graham

The use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil for generating electricity fell in 2019 in the United States, the European Union, and India, at the same time overall power output rose, a turning point for the global energy mix.

Three countries delay Ethiopia dam deadline but Trump sees deal

By AFP

Washington - Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on Friday pushed back their deadline to resolve a bitter row on a dam on the Nile until the end of February, but President Donald Trump voiced confidence that a deal was near.

Trump says deal on giant Ethiopian dam is near

By AFP

Washington - President Donald Trump on Friday voiced confidence a US-brokered deal will come soon on a giant dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile that has fueled fears of conflict with Egypt and Sudan.

Power-starved Ethiopia rallies around Nile dam as Egypt dispute simmers

By AFP

- Cell phone batteries constantly dying, health centres bereft of modern equipment, a dependence on flashlights after sundown -- Kafule Yigzaw experienced all these struggles and more growing up without electricity in rural Ethiopia.

Sydney power under threat as fires destroy substations

By AFP

Sydney - Electricity supplies in Australia's most populous state, including its largest city Sydney, were under threat on Saturday after bushfires took out two substations with authorities warning of rolling blackouts if conditions worsen.

Coal power set for record fall in 2019: analysis

By AFP

Paris - Global coal-fired power, a key driver of climate change, is set to fall a record 3.0 percent this year, largely led by developed countries although much-criticised China and India play their part too, analysis showed Monday.

Rocky Mountain Power to use IoT to modernize its electricity grid

By Tim Sandle

Itron has announced that Rocky Mountain Power will deploy its OpenWay Riva IoT solution and 250,000 OpenWay Riva electricity meters to modernize Rocky Mountain Power’s existing electricity system.

Novel process allows microbes to harvest electrons

By Tim Sandle

In a new, and very novel, process researchers have shown how a species of bacteria can be used to 'eat' electricity. This involves pulling in electrons away from an electrode source.

New partnership for blockchain technology of electric systems

By Tim Sandle

A new partnership has been formed in the U.S., designed to showcase how blockchain technology can be applied to enhance the security and operational efficiency of electric systems. This is for distributed energy resources.

Sparks fly as Germany's climate plan hits rural landscapes

By AFP

Bad Kissingen - German farmer Edgar Thomas already has two towering pylons spoiling the view of the picturesque rolling hills around his land, and he's exasperated that his area is being asked to find room for more.

EV drivers can now use blockchain to avoid being overcharged

By Tim Sandle

Canadian technologists have successfully integrated blockchain technology into energy systems. This is to expand the charging infrastructure required to power electric vehicles and to provide a means to make transaction transparent.

Tens of millions hit by Indonesia power blackout

By AFP

Jakarta - Tens of millions of people on Indonesia's heavily populated Java island were affected by a widespread electricity outage Sunday after the state utility PLN reported disruptions at several power plants.

Tensions surge over Serbia's small hydropower plants

By AFP

Deep in the isolated forests of eastern Serbia a digger gouges a channel through the trees for a pipeline to siphon river water, as the coal-reliant country's efforts to clean up its energy habit triggers a hydro "gold rush".

Venezuela limps back to normal after another blackout

By AFP

Caracas - Electricity has been restored in all of Caracas and several other regions of Venezuela after a major blackout, the government said Tuesday -- the latest taste of misery for a country mired in economic crisis.

Caracas, other parts of Venezuela hit by power cut

By AFP

Caracas - Caracas and other parts of crisis-wracked Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on Monday, AFP journalists and internet users said.

Huge fire erupts at power station outside Moscow

By AFP

Moscow - A blaze raged for hours at a gas-fired power station outside Moscow Thursday, killing a worker overseeing a substation and damaging a nearby warehouse, office building and hostel, emergency services said.

Power outage hits Venezuela's largest refinery complex: lawmaker

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's largest refinery complex has been hit by a power outage, at a time of acute fuel shortages in parts of the crisis-torn oil producer, an opposition lawmaker said Sunday.

Argentina, Uruguay restore power after massive blackout

By AFP

Buenos Aires - Electricity services have been restored to all of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said.

Massive power outage hits Argentina, Uruguay: power companies

By AFP

Buenos Aires - A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday, leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said.

New device uses nano-tech to create electricity from snowfall

By Tim Sandle

Researchers have devised a nanogenerator that can use snowfall to generate electricity, thereby providing an alternative form of power for a new generation of wearables. In addition the device can function as a weather station.

Top Venezuela court tightens noose on opposition chief Guaido

By AFP

Caracas - Venezuela's Supreme Court called Monday for Juan Guaido to be stripped of his legislative immunity, tightening the noose on the opposition chief just days after authorities announced a ban on him holding public office.

Venezuela returns to 'Middle Ages' during power outages

By AFP

Caracas - Walking for hours, making oil lamps, bearing water. For Venezuelans today, suffering under a new nationwide blackout that has lasted days, it's like being thrown back to life centuries ago.

Maduro blames 'terrorists' as new blackout grips Venezuela

By AFP

Caracas - President Nicolas Maduro blamed "terrorists" for a new, near-nationwide blackout that gripped Venezuela Tuesday, two weeks after a similar outage caused deaths and chaos.

New blackout hits swaths of Venezuela including Caracas

By AFP

Caracas - A new blackout hit many regions in Venezuela including much of Caracas on Monday, sowing alarm two weeks after a nationwide outage that paralyzed the country.