Parts of Haarlem, Spaarndam and the surrounding area were hit by a “major blackout” on Friday evening, network operator Liander reports. It arose after an explosion and fire at a high-voltage substation, reports the Kennemerland Security Region. 30,000 to 40,000 households would be without electricity.
TenneT, which operates the national high-voltage grid, reports that a connection between Velzen and Waarderpolder was cut off at 23:07. Then the power went out in and around Haarlem. According to the security region, the fire raged at a high-voltage station on Emrikweg in Haarlem.
According to a fire brigade spokesman, it is “very likely” that the fire was put out, but cannot be said for sure due to “difficult exploration”. The spokesperson predicts that it will certainly be several hours before the area has electricity again.
