Power outage in Schmalkalden: Short-term disruption causes unrest!

Power outage in Schmalkalden: Short-term disruption causes unrest!

There was a temporary power outage in Schmalkalden, Thuringia today, at a time when the German population on average expects only a few minutes of interruption per year. The disruption in the utility network was registered at 10:45 a.m., which came as a surprise to residents, as irregularities of this kind are not commonplace. Despite the most modern technology, problems can still occasionally occur. However, those responsible need to take a deep breath - after all, such incidents are the exception and not the rule [news.de].

The first step that those affected should take in the event of a power outage is to check whether the problem may only be in their own home, for example because a fuse has blown. However, if the power outage extends beyond your own four walls, it is recommended to visit the fault reporting page of the responsible power network operator TEN Thüringer Energienetze GmbH & Co. KG. It is important to know that a power outage is usually not considered an emergency, which is why emergency numbers such as those for the police or fire department should only be dialed in real emergencies.

Frequency of supply interruptions

Power outages are not an everyday phenomenon in Germany, but they can occur. On average, consumers in this country only have to expect an interruption of 18 minutes per year. For comparison, households in the UK typically experience over an hour of power outages per year, while in Italy it is over three hours Thuringian energy networks informed. This shows that the German electricity supply is viewed internationally as extremely reliable.

In Schmalkalden, low-voltage disturbances, often caused by construction work, can lead to supply interruptions. These usually only affect a few households. Medium voltage faults are less common, but they often affect several parts of the city. In the event of these events, specialized switching personnel are available to take action on site and quickly eliminate the faults.

The quality of the German electricity supply

The Federal Network Agency recently published figures on power supply quality. President Klaus Müller emphasizes the longevity and reliability of the German power grid. The current data shows that the average unavailability of electricity per final consumer for 2023 is just 12.8 minutes. This value remains at a high level, even compared to previous years. 852 network operators reported over 158,360 supply interruptions last year, and here too there is an increase in the number of disruption reports, albeit at a high level. Information about this is available on the website Federal Network Agency available.

In summary, it can be said that the unforeseen disruption in Schmalkalden is annoying, but it rarely occurs in the context of the German electricity supply. Those responsible are well positioned to resolve such events as quickly as possible and continue to provide citizens with reliable electricity.