Huge power outage plunges Brazil into darkness, unease

• Source: Global Times
• [02:50 November 12 2009]
• Comments

Vehicles ply the '23 de Maio' expressway Wednesday, linking the north and south areas of the metropolis during a massive blackout in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: AFP
 

A massive blackout plunged tens of millions in Brazil's largest cities into darkness, sparking major disruptions, fears of crime and energy supply concerns Wednesday for the newly named Olympic hosts.

The outage across much of southern Brazil started at 10:15 pm Tuesday (0015 GMT Wednesday) and lasted some four hours.

It originated at the Itaipu hydroelectric plant that straddles the border between Brazil and Paraguay, supplying both with much of their energy needs.

Police in Sao Paulo and Rio, recently named as the host of the 2016 Olympics, feared an opportunistic crime wave and accidents because of non-functioning traffic lights.

Officials called up off-duty officers and urged the public to stay off the streets.

The subway systems in Sao Paulo and Rio suddenly halted, stranding many passengers between underground stations.

There were no immediate reports of disturbances, but local radio and television said they had received many reports of muggings, and residents voiced worries about walking along pitch-black streets.

In Rio, firefighters said they were overwhelmed by calls from people trapped in elevators. Traffic lights were extinguished, causing most motorists to nose carefully through intersections.

Brazilian Energy Minister Edson Lobao said it was not yet known what caused the unprecedented "complete paralysis" of the entire Itaipu plant, but speculated that lightning from a storm might have shorted out one of the facility's five high-tension supply lines.

The plant provides around 20 percent of the energy needs of Brazil, Latin America's most populous and economically important nation.

Paraguay, which gets 90 percent of its electricity from the installation, was virtually without power for at least 15 minutes because of the problem, according to reports.

While Brazil has encountered severe power shortages in the past, notably in 2001, 2005 and 2007, the scale of Tuesday's blackout was unprecedented.

One radio station, Bandnews, estimated that 50 million people, or more than a quarter of Brazil's 190-million-strong population, were suddenly thrown into the dark.

Itaipu was reactivated within hours and power was progressively restored in the early hours of Wednesday.

Witnesses and officials said the outage's duration was around four hours, affecting the states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Goias, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana and Espirito Santo.

According to the National Electric System Operator, the problem caused 17,000 mega-watts to abruptly disappear from the national energy grid.

A "domino effect" meant Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other major cities and towns were left with no illumination, Itaipu's management said in a statement.

AFP