‘Mistaken estimates’
The State’s official explanation to millions of citizens following Monday’s power cut, which affected Attica and much of Greece, appears to miss the point. The fact, as we were told by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, that the blackout was not due to «any shortage of electricity» but to «the mistaken estimates in the management of the system’s high voltage» is not particularly reassuring. What difference does it make whose fault it is – whether we blame those responsible for ensuring we have adequate power or those responsible for managing the high voltage system – when the end result is that we have no electricity? Of course, the responsibility lies with the State – whether it calls itself the Public Power Corporation (PPC) or the PPC board, or whatever else. And when such an incident occurs just a month before the launch of the Olympics, it makes one wonder what we would tell the entire world should the same thing happen during the Games. Unexpected malfunctions and breakdowns can happen to the systems of the most developed countries. The question we should be asking, however, is whether «emergency situations» and «mistaken estimates» – especially in the critical power sector – are justifiable in a country that is theoretically ready to organize such a major international event…?
