Kyrgyzstan's Energy Ministry has commented on the situation with the massive power outage in Central Asian countries, reports infohub.kz.
Earlier, on August 14, KEGOC reported that the disconnection of two hydro-generators at the Toktogul HPP in Kyrgyzstan led to an overload of the North-East-South transit of Kazakhstan's UES and the separation of the Southern zone from the UES of Kazakhstan and the energy systems of the Central Asian UPS (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan).
In response, Kyrgyzstan's Energy Ministry stated that the country's energy workers took prompt measures to stabilize the operation and quickly restored the frequency in the Central Asian UPS to normal values of 50 Hz. At the same time, Kyrgyzstan's energy system assisted neighboring states by providing about 250 MW of power. The blackout of the Almaty energy hub occurred when the frequency in the Central Asian UPS was already at nominal values.
The ministry noted that during the clarification of the circumstances of the technological disruption, a brief disconnection of two hydro-generators at the Toktogul HPP was recorded, which served as the initial disturbance in the parallel operating United Energy System of Central Asia and led to changes in power flows and the activation of emergency automation.
The ministry emphasized that this initial disturbance should not be equated with the direct cause of the blackout of individual energy systems and hubs in other countries. In such situations, energy systems ensure stable operation in isolated mode, including with reduced frequency, until balance is restored. Therefore, the blackout of energy hubs in other Central Asian countries requires a separate analysis of subsequent processes that occurred in the respective energy systems. Until the joint technical investigation is completed, it is incorrect to place responsibility on the Kyrgyz energy system for all subsequent consequences of the accident. The causes of the technological disruption will be investigated by a special commission.
Recall that on August 14, a massive blackout occurred in Almaty, the Almaty region, and other regions of Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Energy, the cause was a power surge in the energy system caused by a sharp change in electricity flow from the Central Asian energy system. In the metropolis, traffic lights stopped working, traffic jams were observed, and people took to the roads to regulate traffic themselves.
By the way, the massive power outage in Almaty caused problems before Kanye West's concert. Just before the start, the audience was told that the show would be postponed to August 15.