“Catastrophic” explosion at hydroelectric plant in Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: EX-20070320-10428-CAN
Date / time: 20/03/2007 04:38:43
Event: Explosion
Area: North-America
Country: Canada
State/County: Province of Nova Scotia
City: Halifax
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:
A large fire caused by an electrical discharge at a Hants Co. hydroelectric plant kept emergency crews busy Monday morning. Windsor fire crews were called to the Minas Basin Power generating facility at the head of Panuke Lake in St. Croix around 8:38 a.m. after an operator at the plant hit a panic alarm indicating an explosion.

Power generation at the plant, which is privately owned by Minas Basin Pulp and Power Ltd., was completely disrupted.

Scott Travers, president of the company, called the incident “catastrophic” and said the fires were caused by a “loud electrical discharge” in a switchgear near the plant’s main generator. “It would be the same thing as a transformer in Halifax being hit by a lightning bolt,” he said, adding company investigators were looking into what caused the discharge.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10428