Translated material
Snow blackout
The Moscow region experienced a series of massive power outages
The snowfall that fell on the central zone of Russia caused power outages in many settlements: almost all districts of the Moscow region were under attack. Trying to cope with the streak of blackouts, power engineers have been working around the clock for the third day now - the situation changes literally after every gust of wind: trees cannot withstand the weight of wet snow and fall on power lines.As Alexander Shapochkin, press secretary of the Moscow United Electric Grid Company (MOEK), told Vremya Novostei, accidents on power lines began immediately after the first extensive snowfall - on Sunday night. According to him, the problems are caused by the fact that far from everywhere the requirements to clear areas of plants in the area of power lines are unquestioningly fulfilled. If, as a rule, no problems arise with ordinary forest plantations, then in forests of the so-called first category, energy workers face opposition from environmentalists. “We have been fighting with foresters since the summer, but they do not allow us to cut down trees,” Mr. Shapochkin complained.
As a result, yesterday about 1,000 settlements in the Moscow region were left without electricity, and the main task of power engineers was to try to correct the situation before nightfall. As MOEK explained, the most difficult situation remained in the Istra, Ruza, Solnechnogorsk and Klin districts. Mostly sparsely populated areas were switched off: summer cottages, villages, although the blackout did not spare cities either. For example, in Troitsk near Moscow on Sunday, about 30 thousand residents were left without electricity.
As in any emergency situation, a special headquarters was created in the Moscow region, which decides how to protect schools, hospitals and other social facilities in the region from blackouts. However, specialists are not always able to quickly solve the problem. “As soon as we correct the situation, the wind starts again, it snows, and new accidents occur,” admitted a representative of MOEK.