830 thousand properties remain without electricity after the cyclone in SP

Distribution reported, in a bulletin released this Friday (12), that energy supply was normalized for around 1.8 million customers. However, approximately 830,000 properties — equivalent to 9.8% of the distributor’s consumer base — remain without electricity two days after the passage of an extratropical cyclone that hit the capital and the Metropolitan Region on Wednesday (10).

The weather event, classified as historic by the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet), caused winds that lasted for around 12 hours, with gusts reaching 98 km/h. The force of the gale caused severe damage to electrical infrastructure, knocking down trees and throwing objects onto the wiring. According to the Fire Department, more than 1,300 calls for falling trees were recorded.

The concessionaire highlighted that the number of affected people increased by 500,000 new cases throughout Thursday (11), due to the persistence of winds in the morning. For the restoration work, which in some points requires the complex reconstruction of the network with the replacement of poles and transformers, Enel mobilized 1,600 teams and made 700 generators available for essential services, such as hospitals.

History of blackouts in São Paulo

The concessionaire faces recurring episodes of supply failures. This week’s event has alarming similarities with the “blackout” of October 11, 2024, when a windstorm with gusts of 107 km/h left more than 3.1 million customers without power in Greater São Paulo. On that occasion, the system’s full recovery took almost a week, generating billions in losses to commerce and services.

The recurrence of extreme weather events exposes the vulnerability of São Paulo’s electricity grid. On November 3, 2023, another major storm had already left 2.1 million São Paulo residents in the dark, leading to severe fines by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) and investigations by the Public Ministry.