On a Wednesday in Santiago, Chile, electricity was gradually restored following one of the nation’s most severe power outages in the last 15 years. The incident, which saw a vast majority of Chile’s 19 million residents left in the dark, prompted authorities to enforce and then lift a curfew as the issue was largely resolved. Chile’s Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, announced that power had returned across most of the affected regions except for around 220,000 people who remained without power.
The blackout’s origin was traced to a fault in a crucial transmission line in the northern part of the country, leading to widespread shutdowns of power plants and other transmission lines. While the specific cause of this cascade is still under investigation, the government is probing the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three individuals who were reliant on electricity—possibly individuals dependent on medical devices that require power.
In Santiago, public services such as trains and the metro resumed operations and with normalcy returning, the state of emergency was allowed to expire as planned. Authorities noted that over 200 individuals were detained for breaching the curfew set the previous night.
In places like Maipú, just south of the capital, residents were eager for both power and running water to be reinstated. Meanwhile, commuters faced challenges navigating streets without functioning traffic lights, prompting Tohá to pledge increased police presence to alleviate any potential traffic issues. Codelco, the state-owned copper company and the largest producer of copper globally, alongside other major firms, reinstated operations as electricity was progressively restored. Chile is responsible for about 25% of the world’s copper production.
The last major blackout of such magnitude occurred in 2010, following a devastating earthquake and tsunami that paralyzed the country’s infrastructure. Reacting to the current situation, President Gabriel Boric expressed strong dissatisfaction, specifically targeting energy transmission companies and promising a thorough investigation into the responsible parties. The transmission lines implicated were installed by ISA InterChile.
President Boric emphasized the necessity for accountability, stating, “It is not tolerable that the daily lives of millions of Chileans are affected by the responsibility of one or several companies.” The incident highlights growing concerns regarding the reliability of Chile’s energy infrastructure. Experts, including Bernardo Castro from Universidad Finis Terrae in Chile, cautioned that this event could influence foreign investment decisions. Castro noted the absence of adequate backup mechanisms and the alarming inability to predict such a significant failure.
Critics argue that there is a need for the government to play a more active role in the strategic planning of electric infrastructure. Since the era of Augusto Pinochet’s military rule from 1973 to 1990, private entities have managed Chile’s electricity and other essential services. The recent blackout only reinforces the argument for greater state involvement to ensure national energy security and stability.
