Weekend storm left 129,000 ESO customers without power

Weekend storm in Lithuania was nearly 35 percent more intense than the previous major storm in 2024, Energijos skirstymo operatorius (ESO) chief Renaldas Radvila said, LRT reported.

According to the latest ESO data, 129,000 customers remain without electricity, most of them in the Kaunas, Utena, Panevėžys and Vilnius regions.

Power restoration in those regions could take until Saturday, while supplies in Šiauliai and Klaipėda are expected to be restored on Monday, Radvila said.

He said the storm’s scale was slowing efforts to repair the damage. ESO is working with railway companies, municipal energy workers, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and loggers, while maximum available resources have been deployed.

Radvila told LRT Radio that the storm was assessed as nearly 35 percent more intense than the one in 2024 based on the number of calls received by the Fire and Rescue Department about fallen trees from residents, rather than on damage to ESO’s network.

After the 2024 summer storm, ESO purchased 200 additional generators. When municipalities need the equipment, local officials notify ESO and the generators are delivered within two hours. So far, 183 generators have been delivered to 16 municipalities.