Blackout in Almaty and regions: Ministry of Energy names the cause

Tengrinews.kz — The Ministry of Energy has commented on the power outages in Almaty and other regions of Kazakhstan.
According to the Ministry of Energy, on August 14, 2026, the national power grid experienced a power surge caused by a sharp fluctuation in electricity flow from the Central Asian energy system.
This triggered emergency automated protection systems, resulting in temporary power disconnections for consumers in several regions.

"The system operator, KEGOC JSC, is currently conducting the necessary restoration work; power supply has already been restored in several regions," the ministry stated.

Further information on the progress of the restoration work will be provided later.
What happened
At approximately 14:30 today, residents of several Almaty districts reported power supply disruptions. Official confirmation followed regarding outages affecting consumers in the Bostandyk, Nauryzbay, Auezov, and Alatau districts.
According to preliminary data, the widespread power outages in Almaty were caused by an emergency shutdown of 500 kV trunk power lines owned by KEGOC JSC.
Communication disruptions have been reported in the city, traffic is congested, and traffic lights are out of order. Alatau Zharyq Company JSC stated that specialists are currently conducting the necessary repairs to restore power supply.
Furthermore, Almaty residents were warned that the power outage could lead to water supply disruptions.
Amidst the blackout, residents are reporting issues with city infrastructure, including at the airport.
Traffic light failures and signal disruptions: Almaty faces aftermath of major power outage