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Business owners lose thousands after huge power outage

Business owners in Adelaide have been left reeling after they were left counting the costs of a CBD blackout which left dozens of shops and restaurants without power.

The extent of the damage caused was restricted thanks to emergency power generators at St Andrews hospital which helped avoid a repeat of the Flinders embryo tragedy in September 2016.

The blackout struck on Monday afternoon leaving frustrated business owners missing out on vital evening income to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The owner of Hutt Street IGA could no nothing but watch as customers were turned away empty handed.

Business owners were left with no choice but to close their stores. Source: 7News
Business owners were left with no choice but to close their stores. Source: 7News

“I’ve been sitting in the car watching the customers try and walk away. It’s very sad. Very, very sad,” he said.

One cafe on Halifax Street was in the middle of service when the lights went out.

“It’s affected us really bad because we’ve got workers, we’ve got a lot of bookings tonight, our food, our stock,” the cafe’s manager Barbara Greije said.

Power was lost at over 800 customers’ properties as well as traffic lights along several Adelaide streets. Source: 7News
Power was lost at over 800 customers’ properties as well as traffic lights along several Adelaide streets. Source: 7News

Hitting at 4.45pm, more than 800 hundred homes and businesses in the city’s south-eastern corner were affected.

At St Andrew’s hospital, emergency generators proved crucial – especially for the fertility clinic.

“Here in the lab, the embryos of about a dozen patients are currently growing in these incubators,” Fertility SA’s Paul Anderson revealed.

Business owners are furious over the income lost. Source: 7News
Business owners are furious over the income lost. Source: 7News

“Yesterday afternoon within seconds of the power going out, the back-up generators kicked in, keeping the embryos and the dreams of those patients alive.

“Ranging from families to single parents to same sex couples, cancer patients – you know we’re dealing with life and death stuff.”

The cause of all the chaos has been identified as a faulty underground power cable.

And while customers are looking for answers, SA Power Networks has moved to reassure them the incident is an isolated one.

“The reality is that’s the first time we’ve had an issue on that feeder since 2012 so it is very reliable,” SA Power Network’s Paul Roberts said.