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If there are major fluctuations in the power grid, in the worst case there is a risk of a blackout, a large-scale power failure.
This did not happen at the beginning of this week, but for the second time this year there was a disruption in the European power grid.
As a spokesman for the German transmission network operator Amprion announced, there was a brief drop in the network frequency on Monday afternoon.
The disturbance was, however, much smaller than in January, said the spokesman.
The system security was never endangered.
The frequency in the alternating current network in continental Europe is almost exactly 50 Hertz.
It must not fall below 49.8 hertz or exceed 50.2 hertz.
If the frequency in the network drops or increases too much, this affects the function of numerous electrical devices.
The generators of the connected power plants can also be damaged, as Amprion explained.
In the event of major deviations, the transmission system operators take countermeasures.
Amprion has a coordinating role here.
On Monday there were problems with the power supply in Poland, said the Amprion spokesman.
The frequency drop only lasted a few moments.
There was no separation of the European network as in the incident in January.
The Federal Network Agency also emphasized that the security of the electricity system was not endangered.
"The control mechanisms worked," said a spokesman.
The Federal Network Agency is in contact with the transmission system operators to analyze the exact causes.
In January, the overloading of a substation in Croatia triggered a chain reaction.
As a result, the European power grid was split into two parts.
In France and Italy, large industrial consumers were automatically switched off to stabilize the power grid.
mmq / beb / dpa