Thousands of households around Copenhagen were left without district heating Monday evening after a major power failure hit the Vestforbrænding waste-to-energy plant in Glostrup. Power was later restored, but it could take several hours for normal heat supply to return.
Large-scale outage hits Vestforbrænding plant
A sudden cable fault at the energy supplier Radius caused a shutdown at the Vestforbrænding facility, Denmark’s largest waste incineration and energy recovery plant located in Glostrup, west of Copenhagen. The breakdown halted power to the site, interrupting the flow of district heating to seven surrounding municipalities.
The outage spread quickly through the Vestforbrænding network, which provides heat and electricity to thousands of homes and businesses in the Capital Region. While power was restored around 8 p.m., many residents are expected to wait several hours before their heating systems return to normal operation.
Seven municipalities affected
Vestforbrænding supplies district heating to homes in Herlev, Egedal, Frederikssund, Ballerup, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Furesø, and Gladsaxe. These areas saw either complete loss of heat or sudden instability in water temperature and pressure across their heating networks.
For some residents, radiators went cold just as evening temperatures began to drop. Others experienced low heat output or irregular hot water. Even though the technical error was fixed within hours, the system needs time to balance pressure and temperature across several municipalities before returning to full capacity.
Vestforbrænding stated that the damage came from a cabling issue that disrupted their external power connection. Once Radius engineers repaired the fault, energy began flowing again. However, re-establishing steady heat distribution in such a large and complex network can take two to three hours.
Power infrastructure under pressure
This incident follows increased pressure on Danish utility systems in recent years, partly due to the higher integration of renewable energy and fluctuating demand patterns. While Radius and other energy providers continue to strengthen grid reliability, local disturbances like this still occur, reminding residents how dependent urban areas are on stable power and heat supplies.
At the same time, Denmark has faced a series of infrastructure challenges across its energy sector. From price fluctuations to system upgrades, the need for reliable utilities remains a national discussion. Earlier this year, energy companies were also told to improve preparedness for extreme weather and sudden grid disruptions, especially after repeated heavy rain events across the country such as Denmark faces torrential rain after summer heatwave.
Residents advised to monitor heating
Authorities recommended that affected residents keep an eye on their thermostats and heating systems while supply gradually resumes. For larger buildings or apartment complexes, it can take even longer for full circulation to return. Technical crews were on standby through the evening to monitor the system’s restart and handle any residual issues.
Because district heating is an essential part of most Danish homes, temporary outages are taken seriously by both local governments and plant operators. The centralized setup often means that one plant, such as Vestforbrænding, supports heat distribution to entire city districts or several towns. Any interruption can quickly affect thousands of households.
Recovery expected overnight
By late evening, Vestforbrænding confirmed that power was fully restored and that normal operations were expected to resume within two to three hours. Most users were expected to have their heat back before midnight.
The company is reviewing the incident together with Radius to prevent similar faults in the future. Even though the power failure was short, it once again highlighted how dependent Denmark’s urban infrastructure is on smooth utility coordination.
Sources and References
The Danish Dream: Denmark faces torrential rain after summer heatwave
The Danish Dream: Best energy providers in Denmark for foreigners
DR: Tusindvis kan være uden varme efter strømnedbrud på forbrændingsanlæg i Glostrup
