A significant power outage struck multiple regions of Czechia on Friday, disrupting daily life across the capital Prague and beyond after a substantial section of the country’s high-voltage grid failed, according to Euractiv.
National transmission operator ČEPS confirmed extensive disruptions:
Part of the transmission system is without power, and most of the substations of the transmission system were also affected by the event.
While technicians worked urgently to restore supply, the cause remained under investigation, with officials ruling out cyber or terror attacks.
The blackout inflicted severe disruption on Prague’s public transport network. The city’s entire underground system halted operations at noon, though services resumed swiftly: Lines A and C within 15 minutes, and Line B within half an hour.
Surface transport fared worse: trams on the Vltava River’s eastern bank ceased running entirely, whilst road chaos ensued as traffic lights failed in affected regions. Firefighters responded to “numerous emergency calls” for elevator rescues across districts including Žižkov and Vysočany.
Beyond Prague, the outage cascaded through Central Bohemia, Ústí nad Labem, and Liberec. Train services halted between Prague and Kolín, Kolín and Kutná Hora, and on the Říčany–Votice line due to power failures. In Liberec, trams stopped completely, and CNG buses faced refuelling difficulties, whilst Ústí nad Labem deployed replacement buses after trolleybus failures.
Health Minister Vlastimil Válek confirmed hospitals maintained operations via backup generators, ensuring patient safety.
The incident echoes a recent Iberian blackout attributed to a voltage surge, though Czechia’s outage coincided with cooler temperatures (25°C), reducing cooling-system demands.