On February 25, a blackout in Chile impacted 90% of the country, affecting around 8 million homes. The government declared a state of emergency and enforced a curfew. Power has been largely restored, but investigations into the blackout’s cause continue, emphasizing infrastructure vulnerability.
A significant blackout occurred in Chile recently, affecting around 90% of the nation. The outage left approximately 8 million households in darkness, disrupting major services. Transportation systems, including public transit and airports, halted operations, and businesses, particularly copper mines, faced severe disruptions. As a response, hospitals and prisons switched to backup generators to ensure essential services continued.
The Chilean government swiftly declared a state of emergency and enforced a nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., impacting 14 of the country’s 16 regions. Key officials, including President Gabriel Boric and Interior Minister Carolina Tohá, confirmed that emergency measures were being taken to restore power. The outages resulted from a disconnection in the 500 kV transmission system in northern Chile, although a cyberattack was ruled out.
As of February 26, authorities confirmed that 90% of the affected homes had their power restored, and public transportation was back to full operation. Santiago International Airport resumed normal flights with backup systems. However, the exact cause of the outage is under investigation, with government officials declaring the power failure intolerable and urging electrical companies to improve their responses.
The blackout’s aftermath highlighted the government’s preparedness to handle such crises and the critical importance of maintaining electricity infrastructure. Despite the challenges posed by the blackout, officials continue to monitor and restore power across the country effectively. No specific timeline has been provided for the complete restoration of the electricity supply nationwide.
In summary, a major blackout in Chile left 90% of the country without power, affecting millions of homes and vital services. The government responded urgently by declaring a state of emergency and implementing a curfew. Most of the electricity has since been restored, but an investigation into the blackout’s cause is ongoing, emphasizing the need for resilience in national power infrastructures.
Original Source: san.com
