Solar Storms Threaten 700-Km Power Lines and Undersea Cables With Geomagnetic Currents
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 21
Solar Storms Threaten 700-Km Power Lines and Undersea Cables With Geomagnetic Currents
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 21
Summary
Geomagnetically induced currents can turn long conductors into failure points, pushing thousands of volts across a 700-kilometer transmission line and stressing grids, pipelines and subsea cable systems.
Rapid magnetic-field swings from a coronal mass ejection induce quasi-DC currents at ground level; when those currents enter transformers, they can drive core saturation, trigger reactive-power surges and damage units within minutes.
Hydro-Québec’s 1989 collapse showed the risk in practice: a storm-driven cascade blacked out millions in under two minutes, while earlier events in 1921 and 1859 disrupted telegraph and rail signaling systems.
Undersea fiber cables carry data as light, but their power-feed conductors can still pick up hundreds of volts during severe storms, leaving shore-station equipment vulnerable and raising the risk of weeks-long internet disruption.
Operators often get only 15 to 60 minutes of actionable warning from L1 spacecraft, prompting grid hardening, shore-end upgrades and geology-based risk mapping in places such as New Zealand.
Our digital world runs on undersea cables. Could a solar storm unplug entire continents from the internet?
A Carrington-level storm could cause a trillion-dollar blackout. What happens when the power goes out everywhere?
New AI predicts solar flares, but is our aging infrastructure strong enough to withstand the next big one?
2026 Solar Storm Surge: Risks to Power Grids, Subsea Cables, and the Global Internet in Solar Cycle 25
Overview
Solar Cycle 25 has become much more active than expected, with repeated strong solar storms since its peak in May 2024. These storms increase the risk of regional internet fragmentation and widespread disruption to critical services like banking, healthcare, and emergency response. When a powerful solar storm hits, it can trigger failures in distant infrastructure such as submarine cables and data centers, causing rapid ripple effects across essential services. The growing number of satellites and higher orbital density make space weather impacts more severe, especially for satellite-based communications and navigation, highlighting the urgent need for greater resilience in our digital infrastructure.