Power outage after power outage and step by step Austria seems to be in a power outage. Recent outages feed those fears. In a razor-sharp analysis, Austrian Power Grid boss Gerhard Christiner now warns against total darkness in the “Krone” interview.
More and more regions and districts are sinking into darkness. Most recently, an entire state capital, Innsbruck, was hit by the massive power outage for the first time. 140,000 households were cut off from any electricity supply. By the beginning of the summer, this drama had also violently hit large parts of Vienna.
Gas shortage as a possible reason for blackout
As reported, all the spotlights went out in the Ernst Happel Stadium at the time – on June 6, initially during the international match against Denmark. At the end of July, the Ferris wheel in the Prater, together with other attractions such as the ghost train, came to a jerky stop. On Monday afternoon, tens of thousands of Vienna in the Hirschstetten area and then in the Danube city got an idea of the major power outage, which – as EVN expert Stefan Zach warns – is only a matter of time.
Blackout warning Herbert Saurugg cites older infrastructure and heat as the cause of the outages. He is even more concerned about the winter: “If the gas runs out, the power stations could no longer be sufficiently supplied due to the falling pressure. But this is exactly what is urgently needed to maintain the stability of the electricity grid!”
Securing supplies as a “mammoth task”
Austrian Power Grid boss Gerhard Christiner also warns of a total breakdown of the electricity grid in the “Krone” lecture:
“crown”: Were we close to total catastrophe with the recent incidents?
Gerhard Christiner: It was a local event caused by construction work.
So you don’t have to worry?
Yet! Because the challenges – electrification of the economy, society and industry and the integration of renewable energy – have increased enormously recently. We must arm ourselves now.
Concretely, how can we avert the dreaded total darkness?
With huge capacity expansions, especially in the field of energy infrastructure. Failure to do so increases the risk of large-scale power outages.
Isn’t it too late?
The safe transformation of the energy system is a gigantic task! But we can. However, this requires an overall planning of the energy system and at the same time we need to rapidly expand capacity in all areas of the energy system – grids, storage, production, reserves, digital platforms.
How likely is a blackout now?
Crises are unpredictable. They are the result of a multitude of unexpected and coinciding events. In any case, we must all learn to deal with unforeseen crisis situations.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
