CEPS to present information gathered so far on Friday's blackout in Czechia today

Transmission system operator ČEPS will present today the information gathered so far about Friday’s widespread power outage in part of Czechia. In recent days, the state-owned company launched an investigation into the causes of the blackout.

A massive power outage lasting several hours affected a large part of the Czech Republic on Friday, after a cable snapped. According to Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček (STAN), around one million customers were without electricity after midday. The outage affected some towns and areas in the Central Bohemian, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec, Hradec Králové and Olomouc regions, as well as, in particular, the right-bank part of Prague.

The government was also briefed in more detail on Wednesday on the information known so far about Friday’s blackout. Minister Vlček then reiterated that the main mechanical cause of the outage was the rupture of a phase conductor—a cable that carries electricity between power plants and substations—which put the V411 high-voltage backbone line out of service. The line is used to transmit high power output from power plants and carry electricity over long distances. Further faults followed, including the outage of a unit at the Ledvice power plant in the Teplice area. The V208 line, which connects substations, was also overloaded. The outage also affected the large Krasíkov substation in the Ústí nad Orlicí area.

Vlček again ruled out excessive electricity flows from Germany and Poland, driven by increased renewable energy generation, as a possible cause. “The data show that the figures were standard on Friday,” the minister said.

According to information previously provided by ČEPS, the investigation into Friday’s outage will take several weeks. In addition to ČEPS and distribution system operators, other experts will also take part, including specialists from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and experts assessing specific equipment. At the beginning of the week, ČEPS also announced thermographic inspections of selected power lines as a preventive measure.