After destructive storm, some in Latvia may wait days for power to return
A powerful storm that hit Latvia overnight cut electricity to more than a quarter-million households, and while most substations were back online by Sunday evening, some customers may face a wait of several days.
A very strong storm swept through Latvia on Saturday evening and overnight into Sunday, causing widespread damage to the electricity grid and cutting power to more than 277,000 customers of distribution system operator Sadales tīkls (ST). By Sunday morning, 46 of the more than 150 substations operated by transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) were affected, along with damage to five 330 kV and 44 110 kV transmission lines.
Repairs progress through the day
The situation improved steadily throughout Sunday. By 5 p.m., power had been restored at dozens of substations, including in Sigulda, Inčukalns, Līvāni, Madona, Bauska, Cēsis, Ogre and elsewhere, and by 6 p.m. 22 transmission lines were back in operation. By 8 p.m., 70% of the damaged AST substations had power restored, though 11 substations — 7% of the transmission network's total — remained without electricity as repair work continued.
Restoring the transmission network allows ST to keep working on fixing damage in the medium-voltage and, subsequently, low-voltage networks, gradually returning power to residents.
Over 200 crews deployed
More than 200 AST and ST crews are involved in the repair effort, using all available company resources. The storm caused damage on nearly 50 transmission lines and more than 40 substations, and locating the faults requires inspecting over 1,500 kilometers of overhead lines.
In the distribution network, the main causes of damage were trees and branches toppled onto power lines, along with damaged poles and other grid equipment. Officials warned that given the scale of the destruction, full power restoration for some customers could take several days.
