A power outage struck significant regions of Brazil on Tuesday, August 15, resulting in residents being left without electricity across at least 19 states, as per reports from local media. The blackout originated at 8:31 AM local time, primarily affecting the north and northeast sections of the country.
The widespread outage caused disruption to public transportation and healthcare services in certain areas. Passengers had to be evacuated from subway lines in major cities such as Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Salvador. Traffic flow on the roads was also impeded due to non-functional traffic lights in key urban centers.
The National System Operator (ONS) of Brazil has yet to disclose the root cause of the issue. However, a statement from an official, as reported by the G1 news website, suggested that the cause must be “operational” since there were no drought alerts that could impact energy generation and distribution.
“The reasons behind this incident are currently under investigation. Restoration efforts have already commenced in all regions, and by 9:16 AM, 6 thousand MW of power have been restored,” the ONS communicated early in the morning.
Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, returned to the country promptly after being informed about the blackout. He had been accompanying President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on a trip to Paraguay for the inauguration of Santiago Pena.
Meanwhile, the Director of the National Electric Energy Agency, Sandoval Feitosa, characterized the blackout as a “significant event.”
Roraima managed to avoid the power outage due to its reliance on local diesel-powered thermoelectric plants for electricity generation, a departure from the energy sources utilized in other areas.
Prior to 2019, a substantial portion of Roraima’s power was sourced from Venezuela. However, this arrangement was disrupted due to system issues and was not reinstated due to strained relations between Nicolás Maduro’s government and former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. The Lula administration has expressed its intent to engage in negotiations with the neighboring country to address this matter.
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