A massive power outage severely disrupted life in Almaty on the afternoon of August 14: the metro stopped, water supply faltered, and multi-kilometer traffic jams formed on the roads. Due to the accident, some traffic lights went dark, and street congestion reached eight points, according to infohub.kz.
According to Alatau Zharyk Kompaniyasy JSC, at 14:38 an emergency shutdown occurred on lines L-5400, L-5300, and L-5320, after which anti-accident automation activated in the grids. Some consumers in four districts of Almaty and ten districts of the Almaty region were left without electricity. The disconnected load amounted to 300 MW.
The Almaty city administration (akimat) attributed the incident to an "emergency imbalance of power in the energy system." City services were put on heightened alert.
The power outage affected road infrastructure. By 16:00, the 2GIS service rated traffic jams in Almaty at eight points. Congestion was observed on Abai, Al-Farabi, Raiymbek, and Nazarbayev avenues, as well as on Satpayev, Zhandosov, Tole Bi streets and other major thoroughfares.
Videos posted on social media show residents at some intersections taking to the road to help direct traffic because traffic lights were not working. Meanwhile, the akimat reported that at sites where traffic lights were temporarily out, police officers were directing traffic.
On Threads, Almaty residents also complained about the lack of traffic controllers and dangerous road conditions.
"Where are all the patrol cars for traffic control? Due to the massive blackout in Almaty, people themselves went out to regulate intersections," one user wrote.
Another resident said that because of the situation on the roads, she decided to skip driving and walk instead.
"It's chaos at intersections and very dangerous situations. I walked home in this heat because I'm frankly scared to take a taxi or bus right now. But crossing an uncontrolled road is also dangerous. There are no traffic controllers anywhere," she wrote.
Additional strain on the road network came from traffic restrictions near the Central Stadium. Abai Avenue, from Seifullin Street to Baizakov Street, was closed for a concert by American rapper Kanye West.
The power outage also affected the Almaty Metro. Due to the lack of external power supply, train movement was halted, and stations were temporarily closed for entry and exit. Passengers were evacuated from stations and trains. Lighting and ventilation continued to operate on backup battery power.
Medical facilities in Almaty continued to operate on backup power sources. Hospitals are equipped with diesel generators and uninterruptible power supplies, which primarily ensure the operation of intensive care units, operating rooms, emergency departments, and other critical equipment.
Water supply also experienced disruptions. Due to the shutdown of pumping stations, pressure could drop or water could temporarily disappear in some areas, including on upper floors of buildings. After power is restored, pumping stations are expected to start up sequentially, and water supply should gradually recover.
Exact timelines for full power restoration were not announced at the time of publication. By 14:47, restrictions totaling 295 MW in the Karaganda, Abai, and Ulytau regions had been lifted. Currently, KEGOC JSC continues work to restore power to consumers.