A significant power outage affected Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and a large part of Croatia's coast today.
Saša Mujović, Montenegro's Minister of Energy, explained that the outage resulted from a sudden surge in electricity consumption due to extreme heat. Reuters reported that Mujović highlighted how the interconnected power distribution systems across Balkan countries contributed to the issue.
"The failure occurred due to the heavy load on the grid, caused by the sudden increase in electricity consumption and the high temperatures," Mujović stated in a televised address, reports tportal.
The power, and in some areas, internet services, went down around 12:30 PM. Power operators in the affected countries have since started restoring electricity, with significant progress by mid-afternoon.
In Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo, and the cities of Banja Luka and Mostar, public transport ground to a halt amid soaring temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. In Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, many residents lost water supply as pumps failed, and air conditioners stopped working, causing perishable goods like ice cream to melt in stores. A similar traffic collapse was reported in Split, Croatia, accompanied by the wailing sirens of emergency vehicles.
And the power outage played havoc with the traffic infrastructure in the wider Dubrovnik region as all traffic lights went out.
Albanian Energy Minister Belinda Balluku stated that a fault on the interconnector between Albania and Greece was identified, with similar issues noted in Montenegro, parts of Croatia, and Bosnia. She indicated that a comprehensive investigation is underway, but preliminary findings suggest that "large amounts of energy in the transmission system and very high temperatures created this technical problem."
Electricity supply in Albania was restored within half an hour, but Balluku warned that the country remains at high risk of further outages due to sustained high electricity consumption and temperatures.
This unprecedented power disruption underscores the vulnerability of interconnected energy systems in the face of extreme weather conditions and highlights the pressing need for infrastructure resilience in the region.