Chile’s Power Grid Resumes Operations Following Major Outage

Chile’s power grid and major copper mines resumed operations on Wednesday morning after a significant outage previously disrupted electricity across the nation. The outage originated from a transmission line failure, impacting millions of homes and mine operations. Restoration efforts have successfully reduced the number of affected customers significantly, while mining companies are beginning to evaluate the situation.

Chile’s power grid and significant copper mines began to resume operations on Wednesday morning following a major outage that had impacted the nation’s electricity supply. The interruption was triggered by a failure of a transmission line in northern Chile, leading to widespread power loss that affected mines and unsettled international metal markets. According to Chile’s National Electricity Coordinator (CEN), over 90% of residential electricity usage had been restored by early Wednesday, although intermittent power incidents were still noted in certain regions.

Interior Minister Carolina Toha expressed concern regarding the outage’s implications, highlighting deficiencies in safety mechanisms and the repeated failures of power stations during the restoration process. The disruption has been linked to ISA Interchile, the electricity distributor involved, which reported ongoing investigations into the outage’s cause, including issues with electronic and software protection systems that led to the disconnection of a crucial high-voltage line.

Following the restoration efforts, an official state of emergency and curfew was lifted, with approximately 220,000 customers still experiencing power shortages, a significant decrease from the 8 million homes affected at the outage’s peak. Major copper mining operations, including Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, began to resume normal operations, with full functionality expected within hours according to industry sources.

Other mining companies, such as Anglo American and Chile’s Codelco, also announced a gradual return to normal operations across their divisions. Codelco highlighted that contingency plans were activated promptly to mitigate production impacts, indicating a focused effort to assess and recover from the outage. Additionally, local transit services, including the subway in Santiago, announced the resumption of services on most lines.

In summary, Chile’s power grid has largely recovered following a significant outage that commenced due to a transmission line failure. While the majority of the power supply and mining operations have been restored, authorities continue to address the underlying issues caused by the incident. The government has lifted emergency measures, and mining operations work to evaluate and minimize production disruptions resulting from the outage.

Original Source: www.mining.com