Paraguay’s state energy company, Ande, announced on Wednesday a major interruption in power supply that affected large areas of the country, including the capital Asunción, after some important transmission lines were out of service.
The company said in a statement that the blackout occurred because two transmission lines leaving Itaipu Binacional, the hydroelectric plant that Paraguay shares with Brazil on the Paraná River, and which feed the national interconnected system, were out of service.
Later, Ande reported that one of the lines was energized, beginning the “normalization of electricity distribution in Asunción and the metropolitan area”.
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Technicians were investigating possible causes and working to restore service nationwide, the statement added.
The interruption occurred at a time when Paraguay is experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 40 °C and a thermal sensation of 43 °C, according to the Meteorology Directorate. The blackout also caused traffic chaos in the capital, where traffic lights stopped working.
State drinking water company Essap said its service could be affected by the power outage.
