North Mayo anger over power cuts

There has been widespread anger in North Mayo and West Sligo after over 12,000 ESB Networks customers were impacted by a major fault that resulted in region-wide power outages from Saturday night through most of Sunday.

A major fault at an ESB 110KV substation in Cunghill in west Sligo at approximately midnight on Saturday night impacted six associated transmission stations in north Mayo including Moy and Bellacorrick. This resulted in power outages across homes and businesses in the surrounding region with Belmullet, Bangor Erris, Bellacorrick, Ballina, Crossmolina and Enniscrone among the worst affected areas. The majority of businesses in these areas had to close on Sunday as they had no power. A number of homes in the Ballyhaunis area were also affected. 

Impacted customers had their power restored in tranches throughout Sunday, with supply restored to the vast majority of customers by 8pm.

Erris-based Cllr Gerry Coyle said the situation was "an absolute disaster", particularly in Erris where an area "larger than county Louth" was left in total darkness.

“It was an absolute disaster for sick people and the elderly. There are people who have to keep medication in fridges and whose phones have no battery power and they cannot call anybody.”

The Fine Gael councillor praised the efforts of local ESB workers in helping to repair the faults, particularly in the adverse cold and rainy weather over the weekend.

However, he said power outages have been a frequently recurring issue in the Erris region for a number of years and the power outage at the weekend was "the final straw" for him and others.

“There is windmill after windmill and the place is in darkness around it, an area the size of county Louth. The wind energy is being exported, the gas is being exported, and yet we have no power for our people to turn on a kettle or a light,” said Cllr Coyle.

“Everybody is at their wits end about it. This is not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last time. Either the lines aren’t fit to take the pressure on them or they’re not fit to take the windmills on them.

"Something has gone seriously wrong here in the last few years and it is not good enough.”

An ESB spokesperson told the Western People that a significant repair operation was carried out by their crews through the night on Saturday into Sunday following the fault and they are sorry for any inconvenience caused by the outage.

“ESB Networks crews mobilised quickly, working through the night to carry out the significant repair works at the station,” they said.

“ESB Networks apologises to all customers impacted by this outage, and the obvious disruption caused to family and commercial life through the day on Sunday.”