2005 Moscow power blackouts
Encyclopedia
On 25 May 2005, Moscow
's power supplies were the centre of a major incident, which resulted in the supply being outed for several hours in many of City of Moscow districts, as well as Moscow
, Tula
, Kaluga
and Ryazan
provinces. Some tens of thousands of people were trapped in stranded underground trains in the Moscow Metro
and in elevator
s, railway signaling was put out of action and many commercial and governmental organisations were paralysed.
people, started in powerstation no. 510 Chagino, situated in the south-east of Moscow in the Kuzminki district. Here, the high voltage (500kV) current, going into the capital along the main power lines, is lowered via transformers for city usage to 220kV and 110kV.
The Chagino substation, built in 1964, is equipped with six high-to-low transformers. Another six substations situated around the MKAD
carry out the same functions, and form the Moscow energy ring, which supply Moscow and neighbouring provinces with electricity.
. This increased vulnerability of Moscow's electrical network played an important role in what happened.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
's power supplies were the centre of a major incident, which resulted in the supply being outed for several hours in many of City of Moscow districts, as well as Moscow
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...
, Tula
Tula Oblast
Tula Oblast is a federal subject of Russia with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. The oblast has an area of and a population of 1,553,874...
, Kaluga
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga.-Geography:Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland -...
and Ryazan
Ryazan Oblast
Ryazan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Ryazan, which is the oblast's largest city. Population: -Geography:...
provinces. Some tens of thousands of people were trapped in stranded underground trains in the Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
and in elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s, railway signaling was put out of action and many commercial and governmental organisations were paralysed.
Occurrence
The accident, which some accounts state affected more than 2 millionMillion
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
people, started in powerstation no. 510 Chagino, situated in the south-east of Moscow in the Kuzminki district. Here, the high voltage (500kV) current, going into the capital along the main power lines, is lowered via transformers for city usage to 220kV and 110kV.
The Chagino substation, built in 1964, is equipped with six high-to-low transformers. Another six substations situated around the MKAD
MKAD
MKAD is a ring road encircling the City of Moscow.The acronym is a transliteration of the Russian МКАД, for Московская Кольцевая Автомобильная Дорога .The growth of traffic in and around Moscow in the 1950s made the city planners realise Russia's largest metropolis...
carry out the same functions, and form the Moscow energy ring, which supply Moscow and neighbouring provinces with electricity.
Theories of cause
The immediate cause of the incident, some state, was a mixture of several factors, among which feature: equipment wear-and-tear, absence of back-up powers, the fact that Moscow had endured temperatures above 30°C for a number of days. Moreover, Moscow is a very complex region and has the most complex electrical schemata, or "copper board", as it is known by those in the business. It is the only region in which there has been no automatic shut-off system installed since the fall of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. This increased vulnerability of Moscow's electrical network played an important role in what happened.