Kazakhstan blames Kyrgyzstan hydrogenerator shutdown for regional blackout

Almaty, Kazakhstan – KEGOC, Kazakhstan's electricity grid operator, has provided an explanation for the power outage that affected several regions on Friday. The company stated that the disruption stemmed from an emergency shutdown of two hydrogenerators at the Toktogul hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan.

According to KEGOC's press service, the incident occurred at 2:37 p.m. on August 14, when the two hydrogenerators, with a combined capacity of 600 megawatts, ceased operation. This sudden shutdown caused a power surge on the North-South transmission line, leading to its overload and subsequent disconnection by the emergency protection system. Consequently, southern Kazakhstan was temporarily separated from the country's unified power system.

KEGOC reported that voltage was restored to the Almaty power hub at 4:12 p.m., and restrictions were lifted. Full system restoration and synchronization of parallel operations in North and Central Asia were achieved by 4:26 p.m. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan offered a different perspective, attributing the disruption to an external shutdown of a high-voltage line in Kazakhstan, which prompted the Central Asian power system to switch to an isolated operating mode. The Kyrgyz ministry's statement did not mention any issues at the Toktogul HPP.