A state of emergency was declared across the Czech Republic today (04.07.2025) following a widespread power outage that has affected large parts of the country. Prime Minister Petr Fiala described the situation as ‘unprecedented,’ with authorities on high alert to address the extensive disruptions caused by the blackout. Initially, train services in Prague’s metro system were halted temporarily, and officials attributed the incident to a technical failure, ruling out any signs of a cyberattack or terrorist activity.
As a result of the power outage in Prague, most tram and trolleybus lines were suspended. Hundreds of people were stranded in elevators, and ATMs stopped functioning. However, the capital’s airport remained unaffected. The event is likely to heighten concerns about the resilience of Europe’s energy networks, following April’s worst blackout in Spain’s history and a fire that disrupted power at London’s Heathrow Airport in March.
‘We can confirm there is a power supply disruption affecting a large part of the Czech Republic,’ said Hana Klimonová, a spokesperson for CEPS, the grid operator. Later, CEPS announced that five of the eight substations impacted had resumed operations, and those supplying power to Prague had returned to service. The causes of the blackout are currently under investigation.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala called it an unprecedented situation, while Interior Minister Vít Rakušan stated that authorities currently have no information indicating the power outage was caused by terrorism or a cyberattack, supporting the theory of a technical malfunction. ‘There is no evidence of a cyberattack,’ he emphasized.
The Czech police also tweeted that they had ‘no information’ suggesting the blackout was caused by a ‘cyberattack or terrorist attack.’ Fiala stated that all available resources have been mobilized to restore power. Train services on certain lines have been suspended, impacting five of the country’s 14 regions, including Prague, according to Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka.
‘Part of the transmission system is without voltage. The event also affected a larger number of substations within the transmission system,’ the CEPS network operator reported. They noted that the blackout resulted from operational interruptions in parts of the Czech national electricity grid.
‘The greater part of Prague was affected, mainly on the right bank of the Vltava River,’ added Karel Hanželka, a representative of the energy distribution company PRE. All three metro lines were closed for about half an hour, according to transport company DP. PRE expects to resume supply to the affected areas of Prague by 16:00 local time (Greek time). According to Czech media, public transport was also disrupted in many other areas, with people trapped in elevators in parts of Prague and Central Bohemia.
The power cut in the Czech Republic was not felt in Poland’s grid, a representative for Poland’s grid operator PSE told Reuters.