A hot air balloon disrupted the operation of a thermal power plant and caused blackouts in Tashkent
A short-term power outage occurred in several districts of Tashkent. The cause was damage to a transformer when a balloon landed on the territory of the Aksa Tashkent TPP in the Kibray district. Video.
A balloon disrupted the operation of a thermal power plant and led to power outages in Tashkent
On the evening of October 19, the transformer protection system was triggered at the Aksa Tashkent thermal power plant in the Kibray district of the Tashkent region, after which the plant's capacity dropped from 460 to 185 MW.
The transformer fault caused brief power outages in parts of the Yunusabad, Olmazor, Mirzo-Ulugbek, and Shaykhantakhur districts of Tashkent. The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan reported that the power supply was restored within about half an hour using backup sources.
Later, the Ministry of Energy clarified that the outage occurred because a flying balloon hit the thermal power plant's outdoor switchgear.
Published video footage shows a small object falling and a flash, as well as a popped red balloon lying on the ground.
The ministry urged people not to launch balloons near power plants, substations, and other electrical installations.
The TPP was launched in January 2022 by the Turkish company Aksa Enerji. The company has three more plants in Uzbekistan — in the Tashkent, Bukhara, and Qashqadaryo regions. Its sister company, Aksa Elektrik, won a tender to manage the power grids of the Samarkand region and also intends to take over the management of the power grids in the Tashkent, Sirdaryo, and Jizzakh regions.