Minister Denies Kanye West Concert Setup Caused Almaty Blackout
AI-generated illustration
Kazakhstan’s energy minister has dismissed claims that equipment prepared for Kanye West’s concert caused the major blackout that hit Almaty on August 14, Orda.kz reports.
The outage affected much of Almaty and several other regions. Kanye West was due to perform at the city’s Central Stadium that evening, prompting speculation online that the artist’s giant spherical stage installation had overloaded the power grid.
Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov rejected that explanation.
The Atyrau refinery consumes 90 MW, while 600 MW was disconnected here. A sphere consuming perhaps five, 10 or 20 MW could not affect the stability of the power system. I completely rule out any connection with Kanye West’s sphere,Akkenzhenov said.
The minister also ruled out deliberate external interference. He said the blackout resulted from a technical accident, whose precise cause is being investigated by a special commission.
The concert was ultimately postponed until the following day because of severe weather.
Original author: Ilya Astakhov
Read also:
Latest news
- Orda.kz Editorial Team to Cease Operations on September 1
- The Price of a Degree: How Students in Kazakhstan Pay for University
- Second Przewalski’s Horse Foal Born as Species Returns to Kazakhstan
- Kazakh Mining Companies Can Recalculate Purchases if Tenge Weakens
- Kazakhstan Names First Vice President in Three Decades
- What Almaty’s Bus Shelters Are Missing
- 400-Truck Queue Builds at Kazakh–Kyrgyz Border
- Kazakhstan Ready to Help Feed and Rebuild Gaza
- Tokayev Establishes New Presidential Security Body
- Almaty Takes Back Its Nearly Century-Old Hippodrome
- No More Guesswork on Savings: Kazakhstan Tightens Energy Audits for Businesses
- Public Money Could Be Used to Rescue Failing Kazakh Banks
- Third Kazakh Woman Reported Missing in Nepal-China Flood Zone
- Falconer Convicted Over 35 Protected Birds, Spared Punishment Under Amnesty
- Kazakh Citizen Detained in Yakutia in Phone Fraud Case
- Yuan Instead of Dollars? KazMunayGas Draws Record Demand in Asia
- China Gains Oil-Market Influence as OPEC+ Weakens
- Kazakhstan to Divide Smartphones Into White, Gray and Black Lists
- Kazakhstan’s Government Formally Resigns as First Kurultai Session Opens
- Rare Lynx Sighting Recorded in Northern Kazakhstan
