ANKARA
The head of Turkish Electricity Transmission Company has resigned after a near-nationwide blackout swept the country last week.
Kemal Yildir stepped down after transport, public services and daily life were disrupted for hours when the unprecedented power outage stuck across the state, including the biggest province of Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, last Tuesday morning.
Turkey's energy minister, Taner Yildiz, said at a press conference on Monday: "The General Director of TEIAS, Kemal Yildir, who sees himself as responsible, has resigned from his post."
Other officials from two other departments in the state-run power grid company were suspended, the minister added, citing mismanagement of power transmission.
"We see a setup, where we believe there was a mismanagement and extreme risk having been taken," Yildiz said, saying TEIAS officials' overconfidence in the system was a factor behind the blackout.
Yildiz said the power failure was triggered by several malfunctions which left seven transmission lines disabled, cutting the connection between the country's west and east parts.
TEIAS is the only operator in electricity transmission in Turkey.
