Leith recorded one of Scotland's biggest power surges during 2am World Cup match with Haiti
Millions of people stayed awake into the early hours of Sunday morning (June 14) to watch Scotland take on Haiti in their World Cup opener
Football fans in Leith drove one of the country's largest early-morning electricity surges as they stayed up beyond 2am to watch the Scotland secure a historic World Cup victory.
Millions tuned in to the country’s first World Cup fixture in 28 years in the wee hours of Sunday morning as Steve Clarke’s men took on the Haitian in Boston, Massachusetts.
The party continued after the final whistle following John McGinn’s 28th minute winner.
As a result of the unusual kick-off time, SP Energy Networks has revealed that power surges appeared across the country during what is normally one of the quietest periods for the network.
Engineers recorded a 15% increase in overnight electricity demand during the match.
Of the notable hotspots, fans seemed particularly keen around Leith in North Edinburgh to stay up and watch the historic moment.
There were also other hotspots in the Central Belt, including , including Easterhouse in Glasgow, and southern Scotland.
Stephen Kelly, Transmission Operations Director at SP Energy Networks’ said: “This was a huge moment for Scotland, and we’re proud that our teams kept the power flowing as fans across the country came together in the early hours to celebrate a historic win.
“We have teams working around the clock to monitor and manage the network 365 days a year. Our £12billion investment in the transmission network alone will help us maintain that reliability while enabling more affordable, homegrown energy, creating jobs and boosting the economy for generations to come.”
According to initial viewing figure reports, a peak of 2.4 million people tuned in live to the Haiti vs Scotland match on Sunday morning with the BBC, who were carrying coverage of the match, earning an 80% share of the audience.