June 17, 2019

Anna Murray 

On June 16, a massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all of Argentina and Uruguay without power, affecting tens of millions of people; Argentina has more than 44 million people and Uruguay about 3.5 million. Alejandra Martinez, a spokeswoman for the electricity supply company Edesur, described the power outage as unprecedented, and said, "This is the first time something like this has happened across the entire country."

According to a media report citing Argentine official sources, the outage was linked to a failure in the transmission of electricity from the Yacycretá hydroelectric dam. In neighboring Paraguay, parts of Ayolas, Pilar, Villalbín and the border areas of Misiones and Ñeembucú were also cut without power. The general manager of Brazil’s high-voltage power transportation company Transener, Carlos García Pereira, said the power failure also affected southern Brazil as well.

The Argentina Secretariat of Energy said that an electrical grid that serves both nations “collapsed” at 7:07 a.m., cutting electricity in all of Argentina and Uruguay without service. Authorities worked frantically to restore power in most of Argentina, Uruguay and neighboring Paraguay by the evening. The cause remained unclear, but Argentine President Mauricio Macri has promised a full investigation.

Photo:Webshot.