PARIS, June 24 (Xinhua) -- About 68,000 households remain without electricity in the southwestern part of France's Finistere department following a major transformer incident caused by extreme heat, local authorities said Wednesday.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday at an electricity substation operated by RTE, France's transmission system operator, in the commune of Ergue-Gaberic, and no injuries have been reported, according to a statement by the prefecture of Finistere.
The power failure was accidental and directly linked to the high temperatures currently affecting the region, it said, noting that due to technical complexities, full grid reconnection is expected to take place no earlier than late Wednesday evening.
Emergency response teams from RTE and power provider Enedis are fully deployed to achieve a progressive and rapid restoration of power, read the statement.
Local authorities noted that priority is being given to healthcare facilities and sensitive sites, and back-up generators are being deployed to nursing homes that remain disconnected from the main grid.
France is experiencing an intense heatwave, with temperatures expected to remain exceptionally high until at least Thursday, Meteo-France said on Tuesday. Due to the ongoing heatwave, the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower announced they would close early on Tuesday.
Meteo-France said on Tuesday that June 23 was the hottest day ever observed in France, with the national average temperature reaching 29.8 degrees Celsius. ■
