Power outage hits 50,000 after explosion at Amsterdam substation
Photo: Blackout (Getty Images)
A large part of the historic city center and western districts of Amsterdam was temporarily left without electricity following an explosion at a power station, according to NOS.
The incident occurred at around 4:00 PM local time on January 14 and lasted for approximately one and a half hours.
Impact on city
More than 50,000 residents were left without electricity. Due to the blackout, shops closed earlier than usual, tram services were temporarily suspended, and residents received emergency alerts urging them not to use elevators or escalators and to assist neighbors who might need help.
Cause of incident
According to the fire service, the explosion occurred during work at an electricity distribution facility located near one of the city’s central streets. Specialists are currently working to restore power supplies and inspect the infrastructure for safety.
Kyiv has installed five second-level protected cogeneration units, two of which are already operational, while commissioning works are ongoing at three others. The total capacity of these mini power plants is 66 megawatts. While this does not fully meet the city’s needs, it provides support to certain facilities.
Meanwhile, on the night of January 14, Rostov-on-Don came under a drone attack and possibly a missile strike, which caused a fire in the city. According to Russian and monitoring Telegram channels, the first reports of the attack and air defense activity appeared at around 1:40 AM Kyiv time.
