“An important point on the map.” This is why they cut off electricity in the Balkans

– Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, large parts of Albania, Dalmatia and populated Croatian islands are all without electricity and water for 3.5 hours from noon. Balkan tour.

– Today we were in Sarajevo. Things got tense in the cafes as the air-conditioning stopped working and the cash registers, payment terminals and coffee machines didn’t work.. Couldn’t even buy water. Fortunately, she says, a woman at a local bakery, who sold burkhas (layered dough – editor’s note) for cash without giving out receipts, didn’t care. – Then there was a drive through town without signals at intersections. It was a ride, everyone entered the intersection at the same time – he adds.

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According to the Polish Press Agency, the operators initially attributed “Layer power grid failure“, as well as the load on the main transmission line of the transmission system in Montenegro.

– For the reasons initially determined, we suspect that this is a connection failure in Montenegro. It is an interconnection that ensures the transfer of energy from one country’s system to another – Jakub Wiech, editor-in-chief of the portal energetyka24.com, explains in an interview with money.pl.

Jakub Wiech added that this could have resulted in a sudden drop in the ability to provide energy during times of high demand for power, causing power plants to “disconnect” from the system. This resulted in power outage in a large area.

A similar situation in the region popular with Polish tourists Can be repeated. Especially since similar issues have surfaced in previous years.

– The Balkans are an important point on the map of Europe, and investments related to the modernization of these networks are really needed there.Especially interconnectors, as well as the construction of new production units – comments Jakub Wiech.

For example, Montenegro (as evidenced by Friday’s defeat), Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have a lot to do, the expert notes. – As these countries do not belong to the European Union, they cannot access some development projects They are somehow at the back of the pack compared to member states – says our interlocutor.

The situation in the Balkans affects the rest of Europe as well. Jakub Wiech explained in an interview with money.pl that Friday’s crash was visible across the entire European system due to frequency disruptions. He insists that system operators in the EU are ready to act in such a situation.

– They know that the area of ​​the Balkan Peninsula has a big deficit when it comes to power systems, and we are ready to reduce the risk from this direction. Especially a few years ago a similar situation occurred in this area, which literally, figuratively speaking, It split the power system in half because it was out of sync for a while – Our interlocutor reminds us.

The editor-in-chief of energetyka24.com compares the energy system to a large copper plate on which energy is transmitted from one place to another. The amount of power available must balance demand, he says.If there is an imbalance on one side or the other, problems arise“.

Jakub Wiech explains that the power system operator has several options to deal with power shortages. The first is to use the “reserve” production capacity it has to maintain.

– The operator may start importing power from other countries and may request capacity assistance from other operators, even on an emergency basis.. This could lead to disruption of energy supply to some recipients, primarily industrialists, or so-called use. Demand regulation systems, because some consumers, mainly large companies, sign contracts in which they undertake to reduce their electricity demand under certain circumstances. By leaving more energy in the system for other consumers, the system will balance itself – Wych explains.

The last “line of defense” of operators is called brownout, which practically means losing power supplies to most consumers. – The operator must be in control of what happens in the system, even at the cost of disconnecting some or all receivers from the supply. – says Veech.

The expert explains that if control is not restored, a blackout can occur, often associated with failures, for example, the transmission system. Such failures are difficult to repair, require equipment and specialists, and are usually very extensive, so operators do everything they can to prevent such a situation.

Jacek Losik, money.pl journalist