The key facts

  • On 19 October at 19:05, transformer protection was triggered at the Aksa Tashkent thermal power plant, and capacity dropped from 460 to 185 MW.
  • Power outages affected parts of four districts of Tashkent; supply was restored by 19:38.
  • The Ministry of Energy named a balloon flying into the open switchgear as the cause and urged people not to launch balloons near electrical installations.

Incident at the power plant and power outages

On the evening of 19 October at 19:05, the transformer protection system was triggered at the Aksa Tashkent thermal power plant located in the Kibray district of the Tashkent region, as a result of which the plant's capacity dropped from 460 to 185 MW. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan. According to preliminary data, the cause was damage to the T-5 transformer; Kun.uz noted that the damage was captured by surveillance cameras. Due to the accident, temporary power supply disruptions were observed in certain parts of the Yunusabad, Almazar, Mirzo-Ulugbek and Shaykhantahur districts of Tashkent.

Restoration of power supply

According to the ministry, thanks to prompt measures, power supply in the Yunusabad and Almazar districts was partially restored as early as 19:09. At 19:25, electricity supply was fully restored using backup sources, and by 19:38 electricity was returned to all consumers. Gazeta.uz, citing the Ministry of Energy, wrote that the supply was restored within about half an hour.

Cause: a balloon

Later, the Ministry of Energy clarified that the protection was triggered due to a flying balloon entering the open switchgear of the thermal power plant. According to Gazeta.uz, the published video footage shows the fall of a small object and a flash, as well as a burst red balloon lying on the ground. The ministry urged citizens not to launch balloons near power plants, substations and other electrical installations, noting that such incidents can cause power supply disruptions.

About the plant

The Aksa Tashkent thermal power plant was launched in January 2022 by the Turkish company Aksa Enerji. According to Gazeta.uz, the company has three more plants in Uzbekistan — in the Tashkent, Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions, and its sister company Aksa Elektric won the tender to manage the power grids of the Samarkand region and also intends to take over the power grids of the Tashkent, Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions. Daryo.uz additionally mentioned the previously launched SvetaNet.uz platform, which displays power outages in Tashkent and the Tashkent region on a map based on user reports and Telegram groups of the 1055 service.