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ISA Interchile, the company in charge of the power line that caused the massive blackout in the country, ruled out that it was an attack, but has not yet explained the reason for the disconnection of the 500 kV transmission system in the Norte Chico that ended up causing a massive outage in the National Electric System. Chile suffered a massive blackout at 3:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. in Spain) on Tuesday, leaving 99% of the country in the dark. More than eight million homes were left without electricity or connection, leading authorities to declare a state of emergency and a curfew, in effect from 10:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday (2:00 a.m. Wednesday in Spain) until 5:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9:00 a.m. in Spain). Power supply began to be gradually restored in various parts of the country almost eight hours later. The National Electric Coordinator (CEN), the operator of the National Electric System, which runs between Arica and Chiloé, with an extension of more than 3,100 kilometers in length, reported that the interruption of the electric supply was caused by a disconnection of the 500 kV transmission system in the Norte Chico. Specifically, the Nueva Maitencillo-Nueva Pan de Azúcar 2×500 kV line, between Vallenar and Coquimbo. This incident caused the disconnection of both circuits of the Cardones – Polpaico 2×500 kV transmission line, subsequently generating a massive outage in the National Electric System. The Service Recovery Plan was activated to restore consumption, but after 10:00 p.m. and after four attempts, they had not succeeded. The president of the CEN board of directors, Juan Carlos Olmedo, stated that the disconnection was due to “an unwanted operation in the lines control and protection system.” In the latest update, communicated by the CEN at 3:20 a.m., it was reported that at midnight on Wednesday, February 26, the equivalent of 90% of residential consumption had been restored. In addition, since around 11:30 p.m., 100% of consumption was recovered from the Valparaíso Region to Chiloé Island. The Service Recovery Plan has continued to be implemented, restoring supply in Coquimbo at midnight and in Copiapó at approximately 0:30. Regarding Antofagasta, at 3:20 am, 100% of the demand in the regional capital had been restored. Ernesto Hube, Executive Director of the National Electric Coordinator, explained in his statement that the recovery of some areas has occurred thanks to the support of local power plants. Chilean Prime Minister Gabriel Boric explained in a statement that the blackout was “the result of a failure by the company ISA Chile that caused a massive power outage in a large part of the country,” which the company itself has confirmed. “What happened today outrages us. It is unacceptable that the daily lives of millions of people are affected due to the responsibility of one or several companies,” said the Chilean president in his statement when the service was being restored. We will make sure that those responsible for this situation are held accountable by the institutions. We also want the institutions to function well and overcome the emergency, Boric added. “As a government, we have a duty to be on top of this at all times,” Boric added, adding that “We will not let this go by.” ISA Interchile, the company in charge of the power line that caused the countrys massive blackout, ruled out the possibility that it was an attack. In a statement, the company, part of the Colombian multinational ISA, indicated that at 3:16 p.m., an event occurred that affected the Nueva Maitencillo-Nueva Pan de Azúcar 2×500 kV Electric Transmission Line, between Vallenar and Coquimbo, at which time it had a total transfer of approximately 1,800 MW. Without explaining the cause, he added that “there were no attacks, fires or explosions of equipment”, but, as a consequence of the aforementioned event, “both circuits of the Cardones – Polpaico 2 × 500 kV transmission line were disconnected, subsequently generating a massive outage in the National Electric System”. The company assures that “from the first moment, ISA Interchile activated its emergency protocols and at 4:00 p.m. we informed the National Electric Coordinator (CEN) of the availability of our assets. We continue to collaborate intensively in the restoration of the electrical supply.” Finally, it emphasizes that it is “collaborating with the competent authorities and organizations to clarify the causes of this contingency and to strengthen the reliability of the electrical system.” In an extraordinary session, the Board of Directors of the National Electric Coordinator instructed urgent measures to determine the causes of the failure that affected the National Electric System, in addition to the failure analysis established by the regulations and which will allow for greater technical background on the situation that developed and the response provided by the coordinated companies that are part of the Service Recovery Plan. Technical audits were ordered for ISA Interchile to conduct a detailed analysis of the 500 kV transmission system, and for Transelec due to the failures recorded in the SCADA system and in its internal and external voice and data telecommunications system. Residential consumption had fully recovered at 8:40 a.m. (local time in Chile) on Wednesday. Since then, the system has been operating normally and is available to supply 100% of the countrys energy requirements, the CEN concludes. |
