A massive power outage in southern Kazakhstan was caused by an emergency imbalance from neighboring Central Asian energy systems. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan issued an official statement on the situation. According to the ministry, the failure occurred in the afternoon of August 14, 2026, and immediately affected the stability of the entire unified energy system.
"On August 14, 2026, an emergency power balance violation occurred in the energy system, caused by a sharp change in the flow of electricity from the Central Asian energy system. As a result, emergency automation was triggered, leading to the disconnection of a number of electricity consumers in some regions," the ministry said.
It was the emergency protection that prevented more severe consequences for the national grid, temporarily cutting off power to several cities and regions in the south, including Almaty and the Almaty region.
Currently, the system operator of the national power grid, KEGOC JSC, is carrying out emergency restoration work to gradually increase load and supply voltage to consumers.
The ministry assured that the situation is fully under control. They promised to provide additional information on the progress of the emergency response and the exact time of full power restoration.
It is recalled that Almaty has effectively come to a standstill due to power outages. Traffic lights are not working, and there is no water in the taps, apparently due to the shutdown of pumping stations.