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A significant power outage affected Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, and much of Croatia's coast on Friday, disrupting businesses, shutting down traffic lights, and leaving people sweltering without air conditioning amid a heatwave.
Montenegro's energy minister stated that the power failure was caused by a sudden increase in power consumption due to high temperatures, which overloaded the interconnected Balkan power grid. Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across the southeastern European region.
Electricity and wifi networks went down around 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Friday, according to officials and social media users. Power suppliers in the affected countries began restoring supply by mid-afternoon, with most areas regaining power by evening.
The blackout caused significant disruptions:
- Bosnia: Traffic light failures led to gridlock in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Mostar.
- Montenegro: Water supplies were interrupted as pumps stopped working, and air conditioning systems shut down.
- Croatia: In Split, cars stalled, and ambulance sirens were heard frequently.
Montenegro's energy minister, Sasa Mujovic, explained the cause: "The failure occurred as a result of a heavy load on the network, a sudden increase in power consumption due to high temperatures, and the high temperatures themselves."
Reports from Montenegro's Vijesti TV mentioned a fire on a 400KW transmission line near the Bosnia border, though its connection to the outage is unclear. The electric transmission company CGES indicated that accessing the site might require helicopters.
Albanian Energy Minister Belinda Balluku mentioned a breakdown in an interconnector between Albania and Greece, suggesting that high power usage and record temperatures contributed to the technical issues. Albania restored power within half an hour but remained at high risk of further shutdowns.
The region's energy infrastructure has been under strain due to recent increases in solar energy investments and a shift away from coal. Industry officials have expressed concerns about the grid's capacity to handle these new energy feeds.
As the heatwave continues, the risk of further outages remains.
