Black Outs & Power Cuts : Immediate Causes and Structural Problems

18Nov
2003

Critical events have affected various electrical systems during the last months, starting with the huge black out in North America on 14th August, continuing in Europe – UK, Scandinavia – and ending with a phenomenal power cut that put Italy in the dark on 28th September.

The sponsors of our dinner-debate, joined for that occasion by NORDEL – a founding partner of ETSO–, are, through their member companies, actors of the problems that hit Europe. An American representative, authorized and competent, also took part to our discussion.

The panellists are:
• from ETSO: André Merlin, President 
• from EURELECTRIC: Paul Bulteel, Secretary General 
• from UCTE: Martin Fuchs, President 
• from the USA: Tony Anthony, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Members Relations of EEI (Edison Electric Institute)

We were conscious that it was still too early to draw full final conclusions from the above mentioned critical events. But we were also convinced that it was not too early to organize a round table discussion that can help politicians – and, in particular, Members of the European Parliament – to be associated to the assessment of those events and the evaluation of the possible remedies.