Power Cut Peaks at 40,000 Homes in Schleswig-Holstein, 18 October
Published
A large power cut hit the west of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday 18 October. At its peak, up to 40,000 connected households were without electricity for about two hours, according to the grid operator SH Netz. Parts of the districts of Dithmarschen, Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde were affected, between Burg and Friedrichstadt.
The problem began at 9:31 in the morning with a short circuit in the 110,000-volt grid. The resulting overvoltage switched off several substations. At the Friedrichstadt substation a surge arrester caught fire. By 11:48 most households were supplied again after the grid control centre rerouted power. In the afternoon a follow-on fault at the Linden substation in Dithmarschen cut power to a few thousand homes again, and a chain reaction started a fire in the facility. The cause of the short circuit was still unclear.
The overvoltage also caused damage in homes. Police say a thatched house in Bunsoh burned because of the temporary high voltage, and fire crews were called to several streets where house connection boxes were smoking. In Friedrichstadt, firefighters used a generator to keep a ventilator running at a care home that had lost its supply. In Bunsoh, residents were warned through the NINA app.
SH Netz says an overvoltage can act like a lightning strike on a line and even start fires. It strongly recommends that people in the affected region have their fuse boxes, house wiring and connected electrical devices checked, if necessary by a specialist firm. Anyone who finds burn marks on electrical installations should call the fire brigade or an electrician.
Sources: NDR, HanseWerk-Gruppe (SH Netz)
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