Prague approves memorandum to support strengthening of electricity distribution grid

Prague City Hall wants to support the strengthening of the electricity distribution grid in the capital to reduce the risk of power outages, or blackouts, in light of changes in the energy sector. This follows from a memorandum with PREdistribuce and ČEPS, approved by the city council today. Under the memorandum, Prague will support projects to strengthen the grid through updates to spatial planning documents and the permitting of construction. One of the projects to receive support is the construction of a new substation in Dolní Chabry.

„The energy sector is undergoing significant change. To successfully manage this transformation – and the much greater involvement of local renewable sources, the growing number of electric vehicles and charging points – we need a robust distribution grid so that we can prevent possible blackouts,“ Jan Chabr (TOP 09), chairman of the Prague City Assembly’s energy committee, told ČTK.

He added that this would require cooperation and regular coordination between the city’s spatial development planners and representatives of PREdistribuce and ČEPS. According to the document, strengthening the distribution grid in the capital is also necessary to meet the goals of the city’s climate strategy and related projects, including expanding e-mobility, electrifying public transport and using heat pumps for heating.

A new main substation in Dolní Chabry is key to developing Prague’s infrastructure. It is intended to complement the three existing substations in Chodov, Řeporyje and Malešice. ČEPS is planning the construction and, according to Chabr, already has a building permit, but the Dolní Chabry municipal authority has appealed against the decision on relocating the power line. Through the memorandum, however, Prague has declared its support for the project, as well as for other grid-strengthening projects being prepared by ČEPS and PREdistribuce.

After the council meeting, ČEPS Deputy Chairman of the Board Svatopluk Vnouček said the new Prague substation had a non-final joint permit covering both the construction and the power line, which has drawn objections from the Dolní Chabry municipal authority and local residents. The objections are being dealt with by the building authority of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. „We hope the documentation has been prepared in such a way that we will succeed,“ Vnouček said. He added that they want to bring the substation into operation in 2027.

Prague’s last major power outage occurred in June last year, when a fault at the Chodov substation left around 200.000 customers in the city centre and on the right bank of the Vltava without electricity. The outage affected public transport and the operations of some government offices, shops and services. Some websites and ATMs were out of service, and firefighters had to rescue people trapped in lifts. Power supplies were restored in just under an hour.