Polish cities ready for blackout? Power outage will quickly lead to chaos

• Blackout is not just about the lack of light - water supply, transport, communications and basic services are paralyzed.
• Szczecin is developing its own energy sources, support centres and investing in generators to protect its residents.
• Warsaw has contingency plans for the subway, water supply and hospitals, but rates the risk of a blackout as “possible.”

At the end of April, Spain and Portugal experienced one of the largest power outages in recent years. Millions of people were without access to electricity for several hours, public transport was paralyzed, and the use of telecommunications services was difficult. The probable cause of the blackout there - despite speculation about cyberattacks - was the sudden loss of 2.2 GW of power in substations in Granada, Badajoz, and Seville.

On July 4, 2022, a critical situation was recorded in Poland - at 7 p.m. the power reserve dropped to zero. Thanks to the import of electricity from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania, a blackout was avoided. The cause of the problem was the failure of two key generating units.

On June 2, 2025, we were to "save ourselves with emergency import of 200-400 MW from Ukraine," says energy journalist Jakub Wiech, citing Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne.

It is worth considering what the situation in Poland would look like if a major city experienced a power outage that could not be saved by a "loan". And we have some lessons to draw from, because in April 2008 Szczecin faced a blackout . It is said about those events that "it was the largest power outage since the end of World War II". What happened then? The cause of the outage was very wet snowfall, under the weight of which power lines broke. Restoring power took several hours.

A lack of electricity does not only mean sitting in the dark and a defrosted freezer - water supplies are failing, trams, traffic lights, fuel dispensers are not working, communications may be difficult, hospitals and critical units are switching to power generators.

We asked the Szczecin authorities what conclusions they drew from the events of 17 years ago. Their main answer was - investments. 14 Resident Support Centres were opened there, where city residents can get help in the event of long-term power outages , e.g. to warm up, have a hot tea or coffee, charge their phone, etc. Additionally, school facilities acting as CWM have power connections and generators will be purchased for them this year. There are plans to build more centres.

Dariusz Sadowski from the City Information Centre explains that Szczecin has been investing in its own energy sources for years.

In 2022, these activities were included in the framework of the Szczecin City Energy program, the aim of which is to achieve energy independence, which is to protect us not only from price fluctuations or market instability, but also from events such as blackouts. Currently, one of the important sources of power for municipal units is the municipal Waste Disposal Plant, which produces electricity and heat from waste. In 2024 alone, the plant produced 75,415 MWh gross of electricity and 726,631 GJ gross of heat

- says.

He explains that in 2024, energy from waste powered over 800 electricity collection points belonging to the Road and Public Transport Authority in Szczecin (street lighting, pedestrian crossings, bridges, powering traffic lights at intersections, information boards, etc.), and also powered electric buses by powering their charging stations. Additionally, the city is also expanding photovoltaic farms that supply energy to, for example, the Water and Sewage Plant.

Power system disruptions – including a widespread power outage, or blackout – are identified as one of the top threats in the National Security Threat Report

- explains Piotr Błaszczyk, spokesman for the Government Security Centre.

The Government Security Centre is not only responsible for sending weather alerts, but also prepares the National Crisis Management Plan (KPZK) and coordinates crisis management plans developed by individual ministers and heads of central offices.

In the event of a blackout, the RCB "acts as the National Crisis Management Centre, supporting the activities of the Council of Ministers and the Government Crisis Management Team. The main tasks of the Centre are: to be on duty 24 hours a day, to ensure the ongoing exchange of information between all levels of administration (from local governments to the highest state authorities), to publish warnings and announcements for citizens (e.g. through ALERT RCB) and to launch national crisis response procedures," explains the RCB spokesman. As he adds, the Centre also provides information and recommendations to local governments, "ensuring a uniform picture of the situation."

It is worth emphasising that the direct coordination of activities at the local level is carried out by voivodes, starosts and mayors, respectively, in accordance with their statutory roles in the crisis management system.

Municipalities and counties must also have such crisis management plans.

Warsaw has the largest municipal power system in Poland. Analyzing the capital's PZK, we read that the probability of a blackout is "possible", the effects will be "medium", and the risk itself "tolerable".

However, we read further that "the lack of electricity will cause destabilization and the inability to function of almost all subsystems of the city. Nowadays, a power outage quickly leads to chaos, prevents the functioning of the city, quickly leading to paralysis, and if it lasts longer during the frost period, it can be particularly severe."

In the case of Warsaw hospitals, the city hall assures that "all hospitals for which the capital city of Warsaw is the founding body have full backup power supply protection". This is in line with the regulation of the Minister of Health on detailed requirements that should be met by premises and equipment of an entity performing medical activity.

Hospitals must have a backup source of electricity supply, which is a generator equipped with an auto-start function, providing at least 30 percent of peak power needs, as well as a device ensuring an appropriate level of uninterruptible power supply

- explained the Ministry of Climate and Environment in response to our questions.

What about the metro? Most of us feel anxious at the thought of being locked in the metro for several hours, without access to water or a toilet. According to PZK, trains will reach the nearest station, and "full lighting will remain for several more hours and this time will allow for the evacuation of all passengers."

The Municipal Water and Sewage Company has a 2-day supply of water in its tanks, but in the event of a failure, there will be difficulties with its distribution. Therefore, "in the event of the inability to pump water into the network, residents can use local Oligocene springs with generators, and the city will also supply residents with water in tankers."

Taking the examples of Warsaw and Szczecin into account, we can state that theoretically we are systemically prepared for the eventuality of a long-term power outage.

But are the units prepared for such a threat? Piotr Błaszczyk from RCB recommends that everyone be equipped with: flashlights, water and food supplies, a first aid kit, power banks and battery-powered radios, just in case. He also reminds us that "in the event of a loss of communication, access to information can take place through local announcements from local government authorities or through traditional media, if they are operational."

However, according to a study prepared by Maison & Partners for the Warsaw Enterprise Institute in cooperation with Defence24.pl, only 34% of Poles have a supply of drinking water at home, 10% have a generator, 15% have a fuel supply, 36% have a food supply, and 53% have a power bank or batteries.