Heavy Snowfall Cuts Off Energy in Central Slovakia

        Banska Bystrica, December 7 (TASR) - Heavy snowfall caused an energy outage in central Slovakia on Thursday, Stredoslovenska distribucna power utility (SSD) spokesman Miroslav Gejdos told TASR on the same day.
        There are currently more than 9,000 end users without electricity and more than 300 substations remain out of service. The worst situation can be found in Banska Bystrica region.
        According to SSD, the power outages have mainly been caused by damaged pylons, pillars, insulators and conductors of high voltage overhead lines. Several problems were caused by tall trees from beyond cleared strips falling on distribution lines.
        "The situation in Zvolen is a rare one. Due to the weather, a high-voltage pillar broke near the castle in the city centre. It will probably take longer to repair due to the circumstances because the line is located near a railway line, crosses a river, and also another very high-voltage line, which requires compliance with specific measures. SSD workers, however, are trying to ensure that customers are supplied as soon as possible, using makeshift solutions such as engine generators," said Gejdos.