Power Grid Error Causes Widespread Outage in Stuttgart, Disrupting Internet and Mobile Services
A brief disruption in Stuttgart's electricity grid early Thursday morning led to a significant power outage that impacted thousands of residents and businesses across the city. Although the interruption lasted less than a second, the effects were widely felt, particularly in the areas of communications and public safety.
According to the local grid operator, Netze Stuttgart, the incident was triggered by an operational switching error at a substation. This error caused a voltage drop of just 0.06 seconds within the high-voltage network. The company confirmed that the event was the result of internal human error and ruled out any external interference.
The power outage created a chain reaction throughout Stuttgart. The fire department responded to multiple emergency calls after fire alarms activated across several locations in the city. Fortunately, these alarms were false, and no actual fires were reported. Additionally, there were no major rescue operations required, such as evacuations from elevators, as clarified by the fire department. By midday, the number of emergency responses had noticeably decreased and operations were returning to standard levels.
The effects of the outage extended to public transportation. Several city tram lines were temporarily halted, leaving passengers waiting in stationary trains until power was restored. The police responded to additional calls as security alarms were triggered in businesses, including jewelry stores, due to the sudden loss of electricity. Furthermore, traffic signals at key intersections failed, requiring police officers and emergency services to direct traffic manually to maintain safety and order.
Most residential customers connected to the low-voltage power supply noticed only minor disruptions, such as flickering lights. However, some customers with automatic undervoltage protection systems needed to manually reactivate their systems once power was restored.
A significant consequence of the outage was the temporary breakdown of internet and mobile phone services across the city. Telecommunications providers reported that both mobile and broadband networks were affected. Vodafone disclosed that approximately 5,250 customers experienced outages, with internet and phone services unavailable for up to 20 minutes between 9:45 and 10:15 in the morning. Both mobile and cable customers were impacted. Deutsche Telekom stated that it was still assessing the total number of affected users.
The brief but widespread power outage in Stuttgart serves as a reminder of the critical interdependence between the city's infrastructure systems. Even a momentary lapse in power supply can disrupt essential services and daily routines, highlighting the importance of operational precision and rapid response capabilities among utility providers and emergency services.