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Several stuck in elevators as heat wave causes power outages in Athens

Heat wave: Increased temperatures increase the power consumption. Despite assurance by the Public Power Company, several outages occurred in the hottest day of June, where mercury stroke even 44 degrees Celsius in the shade in the Greek capital.

Power outages occurred among others west and north suburbs like Agia Paraskevi, Kifissia, Nea Ionia, Nea Philadelfia, Politeia, Eryhtraia, Menidi, Patisia, Peristeri, Ilion, Pentagono and Psychiko.

The Fire brigades received 27 calls to free people stuck in elevators in the suburbs of Kaisariani, Nikaia, Kallithea, Chalandri, Aegaleo, Peristeri, and in some districts of Athens.

A friend in Palaio Faliro got stuck in the elevator when she was returning form dog walking. “I was thought I would suffocate, it was so incredible hot” she said. The power outage in her area lasted just a few minutes.

In television reports, shop and mini market owners complained about products that “go bad” or that they cannot proceed with sales due to the power outages.

A PPC electrician in distress told a TV channel “I’ve been running across the city all day to fix problems.”

Earlier, the CEO of PPC Manolis Panagiotakis had assured a parliamentary committee that the PPC was ready to handle the increased consumption due to the heat wave.

“Because citizens and lawmaker still ask ‘what will the PPC do?’ when there are distress situations I can tell you we are not anymore the sole power producers,” Panagiotakis said. “We produce 50-60% of the energy. There are also others,” he added hinting at the privatization and the opening of the power market sector.

Panagiotakis said all natural gas and lignite units are operating normally, as well as the power stations in Amyntaio.

“There is enough natural gas – we do not have the problems we had in winter – so all gas units will operate normally. We may lack water, which we will use sparingly because it is the period of irrigation, but the lignite units are ready, including the Amyntaio stations, which are operating as of today,” he said.

It is impossible not to grab at the A/C or the fan, when the city cement starts boiling sometime in the afternoon.

Historic date 30 June 2017: 42.5° Celsius at 5:48 p.m.

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