Palma power station is hit by another fault

Another fault at the Sant Joan de Deu power station in Palma left people without power for up to two hours again yesterday, and while residents in Es Mercadal in Minorca, Arta and Cala Millor in Majorca were left without air conditioning and with defrosting fridges, the Balearic business sector warned power company GESA, that if negligence is to blame for the power fiasco last month, they will demand compensation. GESA's press officer Cristina Alcover, said yesterday that the power cuts were “programmed” and will not be repeated as the fault at Sant Joan de Deu will be repaired within a 48-hour period and, that at some point during yesterday afternoon, the second generator at the jinxed Es Murterar power station in Alcudia, was to be brought into operation. Alcover also announced that this week two of the gas turbines at Son Reus will come into operation. The programmed shut downs yesterday affected ten power supply lines for two hours, leaving Ferreries, Alaior, Fornells and Arenal d´en Castell without power in Minorca and in Majorca nine lines were closed. Alcover said that the ageing Palma power station will be back in action once the machinery has cooled down at some point within 48 hours. GESA is deeply concerned about the affects the power problems over the past few weeks have had on the Balearic population and the business sector, but the situation is described as “critical” by GESA, because of the massive demand for power. Yesterday's demand reached a new summer record but GESA hopes that the collapse of the region's power supply will not happen again this year, although “you cannot predict the kind of faults we've had in the two big generators,” GESA said.