After yesterday’s problems in the electric power systems of BiH, Montenegro, Croatia and Albania, all customers of Elektroprivreda BiH are properly supplied with electricity, it was announced from Elektroprivreda Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The hydroelectric plants on the Neretva, the blocks in the thermal power plants Tuzla and Kakanj are in operation according to the planned mode of operation. The electricity system of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been restored and stabilized, and is again working at full capacity.
The outage and disruption in the electric power network, which occurred on June 21, 2024 at 12:25 p.m. outside BiH, led to a complete stoppage of the production facilities of Elektroprivreda BiH and the suspension of electricity supply.
Thanks to the experience, professional action and quick reaction of the employees of Elektroprivreda BiH, around 1:30 p.m. the hydroelectric plants on the Neretva were gradually put into operation. At the same time, intensive activities were conducted to retrain the facilities for the operation of thermal power plants in Tuzla and Kakanj and their gradual return to production, it was said.
“Elektroprivreda BiH could not prevent this problem, because it arose outside the borders of our country, but we did everything to stabilize the system as soon as possible. All duty teams were on the ground, we put all production capacities into full operation, and hired additional capacities. We also bought additional amounts of electricity on the market in order to provide citizens with proper power supply as soon as possible. “Within two to three hours from the start of the disruption, we established normal supply for all our customers,” says Sanel Buljubasic, general director of Elektroprivreda BiH.
All activities were undertaken by the employees of Elektroprivreda BiH with the professional implementation of safety measures to protect the production and distribution facilities, which prevented their damage and enabled them to return to normal operation. Elektroprivreda BiH, in communication with Elektroprijenos BiH and the Independent System Operator of BiH, carried out a gradual load on the network, with a coordinated increase in production and supply to customers.
“We are grateful for the quick and adequate reaction of all services that worked to solve this problem. A timely reaction prevented breakdowns and breakdowns on key infrastructure, as well as numerous other consequences that a longer supply interruption would cause, from problems in hospitals to the supply of water to citizens. Such situations happen from time to time and we cannot prevent them, but we can work on additional strengthening of the stability of the BiH electric power system and the improvement of the system of automatic protective mechanisms, which would limit the spread and mitigate the consequences,” emphasizes Buljubasic.
Outages and disruptions in the electric power network that occurred outside Bosnia and Herzegovina and caused interruptions in the production and distribution of electricity in our country, leading to a series of problems in everyday life, once again pointed out the importance of preserving the integrity and operational stability of the system. During the period when we are faced with extremely high temperatures, the consumption of electricity increases significantly, which represents a load on the network.
Elektroprivreda BiH appeals to its customers to use energy more efficiently, in order to avoid problems in its production and distribution to end consumers.
The total collapse of the system that we were faced with due to problems outside our country has not been recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last few decades. “Total breakdown of the system” is the professional name for a situation in which all production is interrupted and there is no supply of electricity from external interconnections. Power grid failures occur from time to time all over the world and cannot be prevented, but the protection system and faster system restoration can be improved.