Austria Experiences More Power Outages in Summer

Austria Experiences More Power Outages in Summer

 

In Austria, power outages occur more frequently in summer than in other seasons, the energy company Wiener Netze has reported.

“We see double to triple the number of power interruptions in June, July and August across Austria,” said Christian Call, spokesperson for Wiener Netze, noting that 75% of the outages are caused by external factors such as construction work or storms.

Call highlighted that construction activity increases during summer, particularly in cities like Vienna, where many power lines are underground, making them susceptible to damage from digging.

In Vienna, 80-85% of summer power interruptions are caused by external factors.

Summer thunderstorms also play a role, with falling trees and lightning often damaging overhead power lines, and transformer stations being at risk of flooding.

Despite these challenges, Call assured that Austria’s power networks are well-maintained and comparable to the best internationally, although they are “not immune to external influences.” Affected areas can often be quickly reconnected remotely, but some issues still require manual intervention.

Contrary to some beliefs, there isn’t a significant increase in electricity consumption during summer in Austria. “The load on the power grid is still significantly higher in winter than in summer,” Call noted. This is due to longer periods of darkness, more people staying at home, increased use of lighting, and the operation of heating systems, all contributing to higher winter electricity use.

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