 |
LATIN AMERICA |
| |
Brazilian
Government Says Blackout Was
Caused By Short Circuit
RIO DE JANEIRO -
Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy said
on Monday that the massive blackout which
affected18 states of the country and
neighboring Paraguay last week was caused by
a short circuit.
According to the authorities, the short
circuit caused the collapse of three energy
transmission lines which carried the energy
produced in the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power
Plant, in Paranastate, to the rest of the
country.
The collapse of the energy lines caused the
Itaipu Dam to be shut down, which deeply
affected the supply of electricity in the
country. When Itaipu stopped working, other
power plants were also shutdown as a
precaution.
The ministry also stressed that, at the time
of the blackout, it was raining heavily in
the region of Itabera, in Sao Paulo state,
where the transmission lines collapsed. The
wind and atmospheric discharges were
reportedly very strong in the region as
well.
The blackout started at 10 p.m. local time
on Nov. 10, and lasted about six hours in
some regions. Out of the 18 states affected
by the incident, four -- Rio de Janeiro, Sao
Paulo, Espirito Santo and Mato Grosso do Sul
-- were left completely in the dark.
According to the ministry, a work group was
established to study measures to increase
the security and trustworthiness of the
Brazilian electric system.
Inaugurated in 1982, on the Brazil-Paraguay
border, the Itaipu Dam meets the demand for
19.3 percent of the energy consumption in
Brazil, as well as 87.3 percent of the
consumption in Paraguay. It was the first
time since its inauguration that Itaipu
underwent a complete shutdown.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
