Uninterrupted electricity? Czech distributor ČEZ Distribuce deploys 20 specialist teams

ČEZ Distribuce has created a network of 20 specialist teams that will carry out repairs and maintenance across Czechia without interrupting electricity supplies to customers. They carry out around 6,700 interventions annually. The first team was established in 2000, while the twentieth, based in Kolín, was formed this year. Last year, the teams helped reduce supply interruptions by an average of 70 minutes per customer per year, representing a decline of around 30 percent. The average annual interruption per customer now stands at 165 minutes a year, ČEZ Distribuce Vice-Chairman Radim Černý told journalists today during a demonstration of live-line work in Smečno, in the Kladno region.

ČEZ Distribuce employees carry out around 15,000 planned works annually on the high-voltage network, of which just under half can be performed using live-line working methods. These include replacing insulators, repairing conductors, installing disconnectors, maintaining lines and other work on high-voltage equipment.

"Every job we can carry out without switching off a line means greater comfort for our customers and higher reliability of the distribution network. The creation of a new team will help us further develop live-line working methods and minimise the impact of maintenance and repairs on electricity consumers," explained ČEZ Distribuce Director Martin Zmelík.

In addition to Kolín, live-line working teams are based in Plzeň, Karlovy Vary, Klatovy, Koštov in Ústí nad Labem, Česká Lípa, Liberec, Šumperk, Nový Bydžov, Hlinsko, Dobruška, Svitavy, Olomouc, Opava, Nošovice, Nový Jičín, Benešov, Příbram, Mladá Boleslav and Kladno.

ČEZ Distribuce operates in most Czech regions. The second-largest electricity distributor in Czechia is EG.D, which provides distribution services in the South Bohemian and South Moravian regions, as well as in Vysočina and partly in the Zlín and Olomouc regions. In Prague, the network is operated by Pražská energetika.