A major power outage struck Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, and most of Croatia's coast on Friday, causing disruptions to businesses, traffic lights, and leaving residents without air conditioning during a heatwave. The outage was attributed to a sudden surge in power consumption due to high temperatures, which overloaded the systems.
Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across the southeastern European region, exacerbating the strain on the power grid. The blackout led to the shutdown of electricity and wifi networks around 1 p.m., with suppliers working to restore power by mid-afternoon.
In Bosnia's capital Sarajevo and cities like Banja Luka and Mostar, traffic lights failures resulted in gridlock. In Montenegro's capital Podgorica, water supply was affected as pumps stopped working, and air conditioners ceased to function, causing discomfort for residents and tourists.
In Croatia's coastal city of Split, cars came to a standstill, and ambulance services were in high demand. Montenegro's energy minister, Sasa Mujovic, explained that the outage was due to the heavy load on the network and the extreme heat.
Reports suggested a fire in a transmission line near the Bosnia border, though the exact cause of the outages remained unclear. Albanian Energy Minister Belinda Balluku mentioned a breakdown in an interconnector with Greece, indicating similar issues in Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia.
The region's energy infrastructure has faced challenges due to shifts in energy supplies, particularly with the increasing investment in solar energy. While power was restored in Albania within half an hour, the risk of further shutdowns remained high due to ongoing high power usage and temperatures.
Industry experts highlighted the strain on transmission systems in the Western Balkans, emphasizing the need for better preparation to accommodate new energy sources. The push towards renewable energy sources like solar aims to address the previous power crisis but requires significant upgrades to the existing infrastructure to ensure stability.
