Non-working traffic lights and communication disruptions plague Almaty after power outage

Almaty faced significant disruptions on August 14 following an emergency shutdown of major overhead transmission lines, causing widespread power outages across the city and the Almaty region. The incident, which began at 2:38 PM, led to a total disconnected load of 300 MW, according to Alatau Zharyk Company JSC.

The power failure severely impacted the city's infrastructure, most notably causing traffic lights to cease functioning. This led to considerable traffic congestion and gridlock on streets such as Baitursynov Street near Zhambyl Street, and Shalyapin Street approaching Altynsarin Street. Cafes and shops along affected streets also lost electricity, and mobile users reported service disruptions.

Residents in various districts, including Medeu, Almaly, Bostandyk, Nauryzbay, Auezov, and Alatau, reported the outages. Furthermore, several metro stations suspended operations due to the blackout. While Alatau Zharyk Company JSC stated that specialists were working to restore power, the exact scale of the connectivity issues and the expected duration of the outages remained unclear at the time of publication.