A widespread power outage hit large parts of the Czech Republic on 5 July, trapping people in lifts and public transport and halting factory operations after a high-voltage cable collapsed.
Large areas of the Czech Republic, including Prague, experienced a massive power outage on Friday, 5 July, when a fallen high-voltage cable disrupted the national grid. The Industry and Trade Ministry confirmed the blackout was caused by the collapse of a power cable, ruling out a cyberattack or issues with renewable resources.
The outage began around 12 pm local time and was nearly fully resolved by 8 pm, affecting international and local train services and halting public transport in several cities. In Prague, the underground system was briefly shut down, while trams stopped for hours. About 1,000 mobile phone network stations switched to back-up power.
CEPS, the national transmission system operator, declared a nationwide state of emergency after the failure of the V411 transmission grid line and Unit 6 of the Ledvice power plant. The incident overburdened another line and substation, forcing part of the grid to operate as an isolated island disconnected from the wider European network.
Eight substations were affected, causing blackouts in five of the country’s fourteen regions. The fallen line, which serves an area with lignite power plants, is included in a modernisation plan and is due to be doubled in capacity by 2028.
By 3 pm, CEPS reported all affected substations were reconnected, though distribution companies continued restoring customer supplies for several hours. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said around half a million customers had been affected, with about 2,000 still without power just before 8 pm.
The blackout caused 215 incidents of people trapped in elevators, with all rescued safely, according to fire brigade spokesperson Lucie Pipis. Thirteen prisons lost power but maintained security, while three large hospitals in Prague relied on back-up systems.
Orlen Unipetrol’s refinery and chemical plant at Litvinov went into emergency shutdown and began restarting operations once power was restored, warning the process could take several days.
The Ledvice 6 plant, a 660-megawatt coal-fired unit built in 2017, was also impacted. CEZ, which operates the plant, declined to comment.
The incident follows Europe’s worst blackout in Spain in April and a major outage at London’s Heathrow airport in March, raising concerns about the resilience of Europe’s ageing power infrastructure amid rising energy demand and green energy transitions.
Typhoon Fung-wong ravaged the northern Philippines overnight, killing at least two people and cutting off some towns as residents emerged on Monday mo...
The number of people confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border ro...
Indonesia is set to award the title of national hero on Monday to late President Suharto, who was forced out of office in 1998 by violent protests tha...
U.S. airlines are facing unprecedented disruptions as the government shutdown drags on, with more than 2,200 flight cancellations reported on Sunday (...
Lewis Hamilton's first season with Ferrari has been plagued by frustrations, with a nightmare performance in Brazil. After a damaged car and another d...
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Saturday (October 4) acknowledged defeat in the parliamentary elections to billionaire Andrej Babiš’s ANO party, but affirmed that the country would remain a part of the West.
Andrej Babis’s ANO party won the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election on Saturday with 34.7% of the vote, prompting coalition talks as it fell short of a majority.
Czech businessman and politician Andrej Babiš's populist ANO party took a wide early lead in the country's parliamentary election on Saturday, according to partial results after 10% of voting districts had been counted.
Czechs began voting on Friday in an election likely to oust their centre-right government, with polls favouring populist billionaire Andrej Babis to return to power on pledges to raise wages and lift growth while reducing aid for Ukraine.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has launched NASA’s twin ESCAPADE satellites to Mars on Sunday, marking the second flight of its New Glenn rocket, a mission seen as a crucial test of the company’s reusability ambitions and a fresh challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Real Madrid, top of LaLiga, is determined to bounce back from their midweek Champions League loss against Liverpool as they face local rivals Rayo Vallecano. Coach Xabi Alonso insists the team is focused on finishing strong before the international break.
Russia said its forces have captured the village of Rybne in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, though Kyiv has not confirmed the claim. Ukraine’s military says it repelled multiple Russian assaults nearby amid ongoing heavy fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned a massive Russian attack involving 450 drones and 45 missiles, targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. He called for stronger sanctions against Russia’s energy sector to help end the war.
Two trains crashed in Slovakia on Sunday evening after one ran into the back of the other, injuring dozens of passengers, police and the country's interior minister said.
Typhoon Fung-wong ravaged the northern Philippines overnight, killing at least two people and cutting off some towns as residents emerged on Monday morning.
The number of people confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border rose to 11 on Monday, authorities said.
Indonesia is set to award the title of national hero on Monday to late President Suharto, who was forced out of office in 1998 by violent protests that ended a three-decade rule marred by accusations of mass human rights violations.
U.S. airlines are facing unprecedented disruptions as the government shutdown drags on, with more than 2,200 flight cancellations reported on Sunday (9 November) alone.
Three drones were detected over Belgium's Doel nuclear power plant on Sunday evening, though operations were unaffected according to officials. This incident comes after a similar disruption at Liege airport, marking an ongoing wave of drone-related interruptions across the country.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment