Chile declared a state of emergency following a massive blackout caused by a transmission line failure, impacting millions and halting metro services. President Boric blamed private companies for the outage, while armed forces were deployed to maintain order. A curfew was established, and efforts were made to restore power, with only a quarter of demand met as of late Tuesday. The incident drew attention to the effects on global copper markets due to interruptions in mining operations.
Chilean authorities have declared a state of emergency due to a massive blackout affecting millions across the country. The outage, which is the largest Chile has seen in years, resulted from a failure in a high-voltage transmission line located in northern Chile, as confirmed by Interior Minister Carolina Toha, who dismissed any claims of sabotage.
During a televised address, President Gabriel Boric stated that approximately eight million homes experienced power loss, emphasizing the need for accountability from private power companies for their role in the disruption.
Chile’s national disaster response service, Senapred, reported that 14 out of 16 regions were impacted. The government has imposed a curfew from 10 PM to 6 AM, extending from the northern port of Arica to the southern Los Lagos region.
In a bid to restore order, armed forces are being deployed nationwide along the country’s 4,300-kilometer stretch. By late evening, only about 25% of the electrical grid’s demand had been restored, according to Juan Carlos Olmedo, president of the National Electricity Coordinator (CEN).
CEN’s Executive Director Ernesto Huber mentioned they activated several power plants, primarily hydroelectric stations, to help stabilize demand temporarily. Major disruptions in Santiago included non-functional traffic lights and halted metro services, prompting transport minister Juan Carlos Munoz to advise residents to remain indoors.
At Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, emergency power systems allowed flights to continue. The blackout also significantly impacted global copper markets by halting operations in local mines, crucial as Chile is the world’s leading copper producer.
In summary, Chile’s recent state of emergency highlights the significant impact of a power outage on national infrastructure and daily life. With the government responding swiftly by imposing a curfew and deploying military forces, the focus now shifts to restoring full power and determining accountability for the failure of private companies. The crisis illustrates the vulnerability of critical systems and their implications on broader economic activities, especially in vital sectors like mining.
Original Source: www.aljazeera.com
