Storm leaves 87,000 electricity customers without power

About 87,000 customers remained without electricity on Monday morning after the weekend storm, LSM reported, citing information compiled by Sadales tīkls.

By 6 a.m., power had been restored to 190,000 customers, or 70% of those whose electricity supply was disrupted by the storm. Ten high-voltage substations also remained without power.

Repairs will continue on Monday and Tuesday, with work focused on restoring electricity in less populated areas. Sadales tīkls board chairman Sandis Jansons said on Latvijas Televīzija’s Rīta Panorāma programme that the number of households without power would therefore decline more slowly in the coming hours.

If weather conditions allow, Sadales tīkls will begin using drones to identify faults more quickly. A total of 206 Sadales tīkls crews are continuing repairs, assisted by seven crews from Estonia’s electricity distribution system operator Elektrilevi.

The largest power outages were reported in the municipalities of Rēzekne, Preiļi, Ogre, Sigulda, Jēkabpils, Bauska, Aizkraukle, Krāslava, Jelgava, Ludza, Kandava and Madona. Because of the extensive storm damage, especially in heavily forested areas, restoring electricity for some customers could take several days, Sadales tīkls warned.

Augstsprieguma tīkls, Latvia’s electricity transmission operator, had restored the supply of nearly 80% of the substations that lost power during the storm by 6 a.m. on Monday.

Traffic disruptions may still occur on regional and local roads. Emergency services received more than 3,000 calls related to clearing the storm’s consequences.