Substation equipment fire causes major power outage in Tralee

May 2026Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantElectricalProvisional

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: Substation in Tralee, County Kerry
Operator: ESB Networks
What: Substation equipment fire caused outage for more than 10,000 customers
Injuries: None reported
Cause: Not reported

We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): ESB Networks

What happened

A major power outage affected more than 10,000 customers in Tralee, County Kerry, after equipment at a substation caught fire. ESB Networks, the operator, confirmed the fire as the cause of the disruption. Crews mobilised immediately to assess the damage, made the area safe and carried out necessary repair work. Supply was fully restored to all affected customers by 11pm the same evening. No injuries or fatalities were reported in connection with the incident. ESB Networks acknowledged the disruption caused to the local community and thanked customers for their patience during the repair works.

Contributing factors

The source states only that substation equipment caught fire; no further cause was reported.

Lessons learned

A substation equipment fire can cut supply to more than 10,000 customers at once, so operators should verify network redundancy and switching plans for rapid rerouting.
After a substation fire, crews must reach the site quickly to make the area safe and complete repairs before midnight on the same day.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Exact type and age of the failed equipment
Time the fire started and total downtime
Cost of repairs and customer compensation

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

radiokerry.ie

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

See the register's stories first in Google: add it as a preferred source.

Chart to reuse with this story: Grid infrastructure incidents by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0266 holds the operator, the owner, the root cause, what failed and the downtime as fields you can filter, count and export, with its 2 sources and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Operator: •••••••••
Owner: •••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Downtime: ••••
Sources: ••••••••••

Opens with either of these:

Once per person; every record, every page, for reading, and 1 free question to Ask the register; no subscription

Analyst, £39 a month

Ask the register any question in plain words and get a sourced answer in seconds (20 a month), plus the full record behind every entry. Cancel at any time. Limited-time price, rising to £79. Join now and keep £39.

See a complete record first, if you like.

Open the record in Lookup

Or get this one record free by email

Grid infrastructure incidents in Ireland: 3 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one.

Browse the full register or submit an incident.