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On February 25, more than 90% of the population was left without electricity. President Gabriel Boric described the event as “outrageous,” while electrical trade associations have requested greater supervision and improvements in the infrastructure to avoid future incidents. The massive power outage in Chile on Tuesday, February 25, affected 14 of the 16 regions of the country, leaving more than 90% of the population without power. The preliminary cause was a failure in the Nueva Maitencillo-Nueva Pan de Azúcar transmission line, operated by ISA Interchile, which triggered a chain effect in the national electrical system. The government declared a state of emergency and curfew in the affected areas, while work was being carried out to restore the service. According to the National Electrical Coordinator, 90% of homes had already had electricity restored by the early hours of February 26. The investigation into the exact causes of the blackout will take 15 days. From the government, President Gabriel Boric described the event as “outrageous” and assured that technical and operational responsibilities will be investigated. Minister of the Interior Carolina Tohá, for her part, ruled out an attack on the electrical system and indicated that it was an internal failure. The blackout also generated significant disruptions in essential services such as public transport, telecommunications and commercial activities throughout the country. The authorities continue to evaluate the economic and social impacts of the event. In addition, there was criticism towards the companies involved, particularly ISA Interchile, which attributed the incident to an “unwanted activation” of protection schemes. While the investigations continue, the electrical unions agree that it is necessary to review the operational standards and improve the infrastructure to prevent similar failures in the future. Reaction of the electrical associations Electrical trade associations have requested greater supervision and improvements in infrastructure to avoid future incidents. For their part, representatives of the renewable sector highlighted the need to further diversify the energy matrix to increase the resilience of the system. The Association of Electrical Customers (Acenor) pointed out that both the transmission systems and the service recovery plans failed. It requested an exhaustive investigation to determine the responsibilities of the transmission and generation companies and the National Electric Coordinator. It also emphasized the need to strengthen the electrical system to avoid future incidents. The Chilean Association for Renewable Energies and Storage (Acera) stated, “Although we need more information, it is possible to note that the undesirable consequences of this incident were not only due to an initial failure in transmission, but also to the insufficient capacity of the system to respond effectively to the loss of a relevant percentage of total generation (in this case it was 16%), which shows a structural problem in terms of the propagation of a fault that, although 1800 MW, left the entire electrical demand of the system without supply, which must be addressed urgently.” “Regardless of the results of the investigation, it is key to advance in strengthening the electrical system through investments in transmission and energy storage infrastructure,” the association added. For its part, Generators of Chile underscored the importance of ensuring the reliability of the electricity supply and advocated that “the investigation carried out clarifies the facts, is focused on an exhaustive analysis of what happened, objectively identifies the causes, the quality of the information, coordination and regulation of the electrical system.” |
