Chile’s power has largely returned to its 19 million people, but questions remain about the cause of the country’s most disruptive blackout in 15 years. The government said Wednesday that electricity was restored to 14 regions, with around 220,000 residents still without power.
The outage, which began after a fault in a backbone transmission line, affected the entire South American nation and led to a chain reaction of shutdowns at power plants and transmission lines. Exactly how it happened is under investigation.
Three people died during the blackout due to their reliance on electricity for medical devices, according to Interior Minister Carolina Tohá. The government will not extend the state of emergency that expired early Wednesday.
Despite the restoration of power, some areas like Maipú south of Santiago still waited anxiously for services to return. Commuters also struggled with non-functioning traffic lights in cities.
The country’s largest copper producer, Codelco, has resumed operations at its mines as electricity supply returned. The blackout was the most significant since 2010 and highlighted pressing electricity generation problems in the business-friendly country.
President Gabriel Boric vowed to investigate energy transmission companies involved in the faulty transmission line, which was installed by ISA InterChile. Experts warned that the blackout could dent investor confidence due to its scale and lack of preparedness. They called for a more active role for the state in planning electric infrastructure in Chile.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/chile-blackout-infrastructure-power-outage-electricity-bf912576eccfed327cf0cfeace6b8444