Several failures in the system interrupt the supply of electricity in various areas of the country
Various failures in the electrical system of Argentina caused an extensive blackout on Wednesday that affects several areas of the country, including the capital, Buenos Aires. According to sources from the Ministry of Energy, “several failures were recorded in the interconnected system” and, “as a cause of the above, different generation plants came out,” including the Atucha 1 nuclear power plant and the Central Puerto thermal generator. “Work is being done quickly to solve this issue,” they said from the Ministry of Energy.
According to data from the Wholesale Electricity Market Administration Company (Cammesa), electricity demand collapsed as of 4:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT) in almost the entire country, although with uneven impact. For its part, the high-voltage electricity transmission company Transener reported that three high-voltage lines had gone out of service that link the transformer stations of the Buenos Aires town of General Rodríguez with the Litoral area (northeast) as consequence of a fire in a field. Transener said that, together with Cammesa, it implemented a contingency plan and began work to restore supply.
Due to the blackout, interruptions have been reported in commuter rail services in Buenos Aires and in the capital’s metro.
Complaint and investigation
After the control of the fire in a high tension tower, which affected the country’s electricity supply and with a restoration of the service in stages, The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, filed a complaint before the Justice to investigate the incident. “The necessary measures are available in order to investigate, prosecute and, where appropriate, arrest those responsible for the very serious events that occurred during the day of the date and that could fall under the crime of fires and havoc,” indicated the document signed by Massa. to which EFE had access.
Prior to the power outage, two igneous sources were recorded on the islands of the Paraná river delta, in the town of Campana, province of Buenos Aires. In his complaint, Massa said he was certain about the “intentionality of the events.”