CES, the centre of the electronics world this week, has been hit by a major power outage.
The power cut was caused by condensation following heavy rainfall in Las Vegas, the show’s organisers have now confirmed.
It comes just a day after heavy rainfall left Google unable to open its outdoor booth on its first ever day at the long-running convention.
There is an isolated power outage at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We are working hard to resolve this and appreciate your patience.
— CES (@CES) January 10, 2018
The power outage saw large parts of the Las Vegas Convention Centre plunged into darkness on Wednesday morning, including the booths of tech giants Sony, Samsung and Intel.
In a statement following the restoration of power, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said the previous day’s rain was believed to have caused the issue.
I survived the #CES2018 blackout pic.twitter.com/ihgG0i84Yi
— Martyn Landi (@MartynLandi) January 10, 2018
It said: “Today at approximately 11.15am, the Central Hall and South Hall bridge meeting rooms at the Las Vegas Convention Centre lost power.
“Power in the South Hall was restored within minutes, and power has now been fully restored to all areas. A preliminary assessment indicates that condensation from heavy rainfall caused a flashover on one of the facility’s transformers.”
We have confirmation that #CES2018 is indeed lit
— CES (@CES) January 10, 2018
On Tuesday, Google had been unable to open its first ever CES booth after heavy rain hit the city, ending a dry spell which had lasted for more than 100 days in Las Vegas and partially flooding the company’s outdoor booth.
Leaks from the roof of the convention centre on the show floor were also reported by visitors.
The four-day show is one of the biggest events in the technology industry calendar, attracting in excess of 170,000 visitors and hosting new products from some of the industry’s biggest names.
