Power may return to Penang in week

Power may return to Penang in week

GEORGETOWN, Malaysia (Reuter): Power is likely to be restored
within five to six days on Penang island following a massive
power blackout at the weekend, officials said yesterday.

A German team of engineers flew in on Monday to repair cables
supplying power from the Malaysian mainland to the island. By
Tuesday night they had repaired one of the cables and Hans-Ulrich
Lengler, senior engineer of Germany's Kaiser Kabel, said, "We
might be able to supply power to industry in five to six days."

But it could take another nine to 10 days to restore power to
the rest of the island, Malaysia's most popular tourist
destination and home to 203 mostly high-tech factories, many of
them from the United States and Japan.

Another team of expert engineers is expected today from
Belgium to help with the repairs.

An explosion on Sunday knocked out all nine power cables on a
bridge connecting Penang with the mainland. The cables carry more
than half the daily electricity requirement to the island.