“In terms of security of supply, our power grid is not only one of the best in Austria, but even in the whole of Europe,” says eww board member Wolfgang Nöstlinger. There is ongoing investment in the power grid. Important reliability is that Wels Strom was one of the first suppliers to lay all power lines underground. “The city’s low- and medium-voltage network is 100 percent wired. We acted with foresight,” says Nöstlinger. In any case, capricious weather cannot harm the Wels power grid.
Electricity production, power grid and operation are secured several times. “In the event of disruptions, we can switch over at lightning speed using ring systems.”
The maximum value for the so-called customer-related non-availability may be 170 minutes per year in Austria. The Austria-wide average for the past ten years was between 37.06 (2021) and 49.62 minutes (2014). In the Wels power grid, the value during this period is an average of 2.89 minutes per year.
While a power outage is usually local and can be rectified within a short time, a blackout is a large-scale event that collapses many networks and lasts longer. Despite the extremely high reliability, there is no 100 percent supply guarantee in Wels, emphasizes Nöstlinger. Anyone who is dependent on electricity around the clock must take responsibility for their own provision.
Source: Nachrichten
