Widespread power outage in Argentina

In the greater Buenos Aires area, trains have stopped, subways no longer run, and traffic lights are out. The blackout occurred around 4 p.m. local time. According to the energy supply company, a high-voltage power line caught fire around 60 km north of Buenos Aires on the power line to the Atucha 1 nuclear power plant.

As a result, the nuclear power plant was taken off the grid for safety reasons. Operations were also stopped in other power plants. A total of 10,000 megawatts were taken off the grid. Argentina’s Energy Secretariat said it was working flat out to restore power.

Almost all parts of the country affected by the blackout

The power supply is interrupted in the capital Buenos Aires, the province of the same name and in the central provinces of Santa Fe, Córdoba, Mendoza, Tucumán and Salta. A total of around 40 percent of Argentines are affected. The country has 44 million inhabitants.

It’s still midsummer in the southern hemisphere. Parts of Argentina are currently suffering from a heat wave with temperatures of up to 40 degrees. The power consumption is extremely high, the many air conditioning systems work under full load. Since January, there have been repeated small power outages in the country due to the high demand for electricity. According to the weather service, the capital Buenos Aires is currently experiencing the hottest summer since records began in 1961.

qu/rb (dpa, rtr, efe)