On Tuesday, February 25th, a massive power outage occurred in Chile, causing the capital city of Santiago to plunge into darkness and impacting the operations of major copper mines in the north, shaking the global metal market.
After several hours of power outage, as night fell, the Chilean government declared a state of emergency. A curfew was imposed from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am local time, ranging from the Arica region in the north to Los Lagos region in the south.
Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Toha stated that the widespread blackout was caused by transmission line failures in the northern region, ruling out the possibility of a cyberattack.
This recent and most severe blackout event in Chile in recent years left the capital in darkness. According to Reuters, the sirens of ambulances and police cars echoed through the city. Additionally, the Santiago metro came to a complete halt due to the blackout, with passengers being forced to evacuate from the stopped trains.
The Chilean Interior Ministry announced that armed forces have been deployed nationwide to maintain order.
Juan Carlos Olmedo, Chairman of the Chilean National Energy Coordination Committee (CEN), reported that by 10 pm, about 25% of the national grid had been restored, with a prospect of full restoration by the next morning.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric, in a late-night national television address, stated that around 8 million households were affected nationwide, but approximately half of them had their power restored.
Boric said, “The events of today are outrageous because it is intolerable – the negligence of certain companies has affected the daily lives of millions of Chileans. Therefore, the government has a responsibility to hold them accountable.”
CEN mentioned that they are still investigating the cause of the blackout.
The blackout’s impact ranged from the mining hub in the north to the densely populated central and southern regions, leading to interruptions in several major copper mining operations.
Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, and if the copper industry is severely affected, global markets could be impacted.
Sources informed Reuters that the world’s largest copper mine, Escondida, was completely without power due to the blackout.
Chilean state-owned copper mining company Codelco stated that all of its mines were affected, including Chuquicamata, Andina, Salvador, and El Teniente mines, which had lost all power supply. Other mines were operating partially using backup power systems.
Resource groups like Anglo American and Antofagasta indicated that their mines were currently operating on generators.
Chile’s National Center for Disaster Prevention and Response Services (SENAPRED) stated that the blackout spanned from the Arica y Parinacota region in the north to Los Lagos region in the south. However, there have been no reports of any significant emergencies so far.
Chile’s Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) mentioned that operations at the Arturo Merino International Airport in Santiago were normal, but Chile’s South American airline LATAM warned that some flights might be affected.
(This article was referenced from related reports by Reuters)