After a significant power outage caused by a transmission line failure in northern Chile, major copper mines including BHP’s Escondida and Codelco’s sites have resumed operations. While power restoration exceeded 90% for residential areas by Wednesday, some cities still faced intermittent outages. Safety concerns were raised following the incident, leading to investigations into the underlying problems.
Operations at Chile’s major copper mines have resumed following a significant power outage affecting the country’s electricity grid. The outage occurred due to a failure in a transmission line in northern Chile, impacting the power supply from the northern mining regions down to the central and southern parts of the country. Sources reported that BHP’s Escondida mine was left without electricity during this disruption.
Codelco, the state-owned copper mining company, confirmed that all of its mines experienced interruptions, including the major Chuquicamata, Andina, Salvador, and El Teniente sites. Some operations temporarily relied on backup generators to maintain production levels during the blackout. Other mining firms, such as Antofagasta and Anglo American, also had to depend on generators to sustain their operations while power was being restored.
As of Wednesday morning, Chile’s National Electricity Coordinator reported that over 90% of residential areas had their power restored, although some cities continued to face occasional power fluctuations. Subsequently, Escondida resumed full operations, while Anglo American’s Los Bronces and El Soldado mines, along with its Chagres smelter, regained power. Codelco announced a gradual return to full operational capacity across its divisions.
Interior Minister Carolina Toha raised concerns regarding the power outage during a press conference, noting failures in several safety mechanisms and the challenges faced by power stations attempting to restart operations. This outage was attributed to an issue with ISA Interchile, the energy distributor, which is a subsidiary of Colombia’s ISA, owned by the state oil company Ecopetrol.
Luis Llano, general manager of ISA Interchile, indicated that an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the outage, highlighting that malfunctions in electronic and software protection systems were responsible for the high-voltage line disconnection which triggered the grid failure.
Chilean copper mining operations have largely resumed after a significant power outage caused by a transmission line failure. Restoration efforts have successfully returned over 90% of residential power, although a few areas still experience issues. The incident revealed vulnerabilities in the energy infrastructure, prompting investigations into the root causes and necessary safety measures moving forward.
Original Source: www.mining-technology.com
