Chilean President Gabriel Boric said at X (former Twitter) that the electric blackout that affected 90% of the country on Tuesday (25) was the result of a fault of Isa Interchile and that his government will act “firmly” against the concessionaires involved. In the message, Boric also announced the decree of a state of exception and the imposition of a collector touch in various regions.
“Today (yesterday, Tuesday) was a complex day for millions of compatriots, because due to an electric failure of the company Isa Interchile, a large energy cut was caused throughout the country,” wrote the president on the social network. “The replacement has been partially occurring, but we will not let this pass and we will act firmly against companies that are not up to the height,” he added.
With the failure, some copper mines – the country’s main commodity – closed due to lack of electricity, while others used auxiliary energy to continue operations. The largest copper producer in the world, state mining company Codelco, said the power outage “affected all operations” without further details. Economic losses are still being evaluated.
The power outage has mobilized safety forces to organize traffic and ensure order in affected cities. However, the normalization of the supply advanced throughout the night. According to Boric, around 11 pm, the energy had already been restored in half of the 8 million homes affected. “It is essential that we all work responsibly, following the instructions of the authorities,” warned the agent
What happened
The blackout began in the late afternoon of Tuesday and reached 14 of the 16 Chilean regions, including Santiago, Valparaiso and the south of the country. Trains, traffic lights, airports and essential services were affected, with hospitals and public buildings using emergency generators. In addition, the stoppage directly impacted the Chilean economy, temporarily suspending the operation of the world’s largest copper mine belonging to state Codelco.
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Boric pointed out that the government adopted measures to ensure the safety of the population. “From the government we worked to ensure people’s safety, so I made the decision to decree a state of exception by catastrophe, from the region of Arica and Parinacota to Los Lagos, in addition to the touch of collection from 10 pm to 6am Wednesday in the same regions. ”
The National Electricity Coordination reported that the failure originated in a high voltage transmission line that connects the Atacama Desert to the capital Santiago. The collapse caused a chain reaction, leading to the shutdown of various plants and resulting in widespread blackout. Despite the severity, the authorities have removed the hypothesis of cyber attack or sabotage.
