3 Central Asian countries simultaneously report blackouts

• Tashkent says ‘accident in energy system of a neighboring country’ affected Central Asian power system, causing blackout in Surxondaryo region, among others

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan simultaneously reported power outages Friday as authorities worked to restore electricity and determine the cause of disruptions.

Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that a power surge occurred in the country due to a "sudden change in the power flow" from the Central Asian power grid.

"As a result, the emergency control system was activated, resulting in the disconnection of several power consumers in some regions of Kazakhstan," the ministry said.

It later said that electricity supply has been fully restored along the line operated by KEGOC, the country’s power grid operator, with regional energy companies working to gradually reconnect individual consumers.

The ministry also rejected claims linking the disruption in Uzbekistan to a problem originating in Kazakhstan.

"Information circulating in some public groups that the power outages in Uzbekistan were caused by an accident in the power grid in Kazakhstan is not true," it said.

In Uzbekistan, the Energy Ministry said an "accident in the energy system of a neighboring country" affected the Central Asian power system, causing power outages in areas including the southeastern Surxondaryo region.

It later said electricity had been fully restored in all affected areas except parts of Surxondaryo, where it said the “electricity supply will be fully restored soon.”

In Tajikistan, the Energy Ministry said on US social media company Facebook that work was underway to resolve what it described as an "emergency situation" in the country's energy system.

It said measures had been taken to restore normal operations "as soon as possible" and that it expected the system to return to normal “in the shortest possible time.”

"An interdepartmental working group has been established to determine the causes of the accident," it added.