Chili It was almost entirely in Tuesday without electricity or connection for more than eight hours in the largest blackout in 15 years registered in the country, only comparable to the occurrence after the 2010 earthquake.
The interruption of the electric fluid forced the government to decree the state of exception and the touch of nocturnal and showed the fragility of the South American country in this strategic sector, which is practically privatized.
Next, the keys to a mass blackout that generated chaos and great bewilderment in the population and from which the government blames the private sector:
What happened?
At 15:16 local time (18:16 GMT) on Tuesday, a ruling in one of the three transmission lines left 98% of all of Chile, from the northern region of Arica, on the border with Peru, to the southern region of Los Lagos, in an extension of 2,400 kilometers.
The national electrical coordinator, a technical and independent body that is responsible for coordinating the electric operation, explained that the blackout was due a “disconnection” in a line of 500 kV -the most capacity in the system -, in the area between Vallenar and Coquimbo, owned by the company of Colombian origin Isa Interchile.
“There was a malfunction in the line protection systems, which caused the untimely output of this line, which transported the equivalent to a room of the demand from the South Central Zone”Said the agency.
This disconnection caused a chain effect on the rest of the system, which led to the total blackout, which only the Aysén and Magallanes regions were fought, whose electricity networks work independently.
Banks, companies and shops were forced to close and traffic congestion occurred, especially in Santiago, where half of the 19 million inhabitants of the country live.
In full heat wave, millions of workers had to return to their homes due to the closure of the subway and the collapse of the buses.
The supply was gradually recovering during the early hours of Wednesday and currently almost all affected homes have electricity.
How is the Chilean system?
In Chile, the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity is practically privatized since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), which left the State a regulatory, inspection and subsidiary function.
Since 2017, the Chilean electricity sector was organized in three interconnection systems, being the most important that failed on Tuesday, the so -called National Electrical System (SEN), which supplies 98% of the population.
The other two are the Aysén System (Sea) and the Magellan System (SEM).
“In Chile, the operation of the electrical system works on the basis of a set of companies that provide different types of services. They are private but regulated companies, subject to a series of standards, standards and demands”The Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, explained at a press conference on Wednesday.
In recent decades there have been several blackouts similar to this Tuesday in February and March 2010 and September 2011.
Although it was not total, just six months ago, in the middle of the winter of July and after an intense storm of rain and wind, another blackout left millions of people from Santiago without electricity for weeks, which led the Chilean state to impose a historical fine on the distributor Enel, of Italian origin.
BORIC LOAD AGAINST COMPANIES
In a public statement from the La Moneda Palace late on Tuesday, President Gabriel Buric blamed the private sector of the Great Brugon and assured that “the situation should have been regularized much earlier.”
“What happened today outrages us, because it is not tolerable that by the responsibility of one or several companies the daily life of millions of Chileans and Chileans is affected, and therefore, it is the duty of the State of Chile to enforce those responsibilities”Said Boric.
The authorities have 15 days to investigate the failure of the Isa Interchile company, but the extension of the blackout will also be investigated, “which has to do with a set of responsibilities of other companies and other institutions,” said Energy Minister Diego Pardow on Wednesday.
“The closest event at the time we can compare ourselves is the blackout of 2011 and the recovery of the supply began within the first hour”, Said Pedow.
Isa Interchile herself ruled out that the fault was due to “Attention, fires or equipment explosions”In its facilities.
“From the first moment all coordination and equipment capacities were mobilized to restore, as soon as possible, the availability of the line, which was achieved at 4:00 pm, 44 minutes after the event began, being available for incorporation into the service restoration plan”The multinational said in a statement, with businesses in Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Central America.
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
