A major power outage affected around 18,000 customers in Solna and Sundbyberg north of Stockholm on Thursday. The outage began shortly after 3 p.m. and caused darkness in areas including Solna Centrum mall and Karolinska Institutet. Most had power restored by 6 p.m.
On Thursday, November 6, 2025, a widespread power outage struck Solna and Sundbyberg north of Stockholm. Vattenfall reported over 18,000 customers affected, with issues starting shortly after 3 p.m. The blackout plunged large parts of the area into darkness, including half of Solna Centrum mall, where stores like the pharmacy closed and escalators stopped working, including in the subway.
The cause remains disputed: SVT attributes it to a damaged cable at Vattenfall's Järva network station, while Aftonbladet mentions smoke from a substation with no known cause. Rescue services confirmed two calls about people stuck in elevators by 4:30 p.m.
Karolinska Institutet (KI) was severely impacted, with the entire campus darkened, hindering research and teaching. 'It is difficult to conduct both research and teaching then,' said press secretary Andreas Andersson. Backup power was quickly activated in Biomedicum to protect freezers, but access controls caused chaos at doors and gates.
Ulriksdals slott and the Hagalund area were also hit, with a resident describing: 'It just went out. Nothing is lit here, it's very dark.' By 6 p.m., power had returned for most, leaving only about 50 households without electricity. Sofie Quant, Vattenfall's communications head, explained: 'We made reroutings and that way it was resolved for most. And we are working hard to get power back to the rest.' Full repairs were expected by 9 p.m.
