When Lightning Strikes: The Shocking Impact on Global Industries.

Around the world, lightning strikes the Earth’s surface approximately 8 million times a day, which equates to around 100 strikes every second.

Lightning strikes can profoundly impact critical infrastructure, especially in industries like energy, oil & gas, manufacturing, data centers, and other mission-critical industries.  

Here are some tantalizing statistics specific to these sectors:

1. Oil & Gas Production: In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which houses a large portion of the country’s oil and gas operations, there are an estimated 1.4 million cloud-to-sea lightning strikes annually. These strikes pose significant threats to offshore drilling rigs, potentially causing fires, equipment damage, and even shutdowns.
2. Downtime & Productivity Losses: A lightning strike to a critical component in an industrial facility can result in downtime that can last hours to weeks. This downtime can result in productivity losses of millions of dollars for larger facilities.
3. Data Centers: Lightning strikes are a significant threat to data centers. A single strike can cause voltage surges that damage servers, storage devices, and other critical components. Given that global data center downtime costs an average of $9,000 per minute, a one-hour outage due to lightning could result in losses of over half a million dollars.
4. Transmission & Distribution Systems: Lightning strikes are a major cause of outages in electrical distribution systems. They can directly damage power lines, transformers, and substations, leading to power outages and significant repair costs. Up to 50% of all transmission line faults can be attributed to lightning strikes.
5. Safety Concerns: Lightning strikes at industrial facilities can pose significant safety risks. For instance, in the oil and gas industry, a strike can lead to fires or explosions, especially if flammable gases are exposed to lightning strikes.
6. Data Loss: A lightning strike can result in irretrievable data loss for businesses that do not have robust data backup and recovery solutions. These data losses translate to significant financial losses, especially if critical operational or customer data is lost.

Lightning Protection Investment: To counter these risks, industries invest heavily in lightning and surge protection measures. The above statistics highlight the significant risks and associated costs of lightning strikes in industrial and energy sectors.  

Most of our clients call us after they have had a significant lightning event. The best time to evaluate lightning protection solutions is before the storm.  Try our free lightning risk assessment and get started today.