On Tuesday, February 25, local time, Chile in the southern hemisphere was in the middle of summer, and 90% of the country suddenly had large-scale power outages, resulting in commuting disruptions, mobile phone signal disruptions, and business activities paralyzed. The outage is the largest in Chile in a decade.
Chile's National Electricity Dispatch Company (CEN) said the cause of the outage was the failure of a high-voltage main transmission line. The line runs from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile to the capital in the central valley.
In response to the sudden power outage, the Chilean government declared a state of emergency and imposed an overnight curfew (lasting until 6 a.m. Wednesday), Interior Minister Carolina Toha said: "Our priority is to ensure the safety of the people.
The impact of this large-scale power outage across the country is very large. Escondida, the world's largest copper mine in northern Chile, has halted operations due to power outages, hitting the global metals market. Electrically powered pumps stopped working, causing a disruption to Chile's water supply. Hospitals and government buildings are maintained by emergency power supplies. The subway is suspended and flights are affected. Traffic lights are out of order, traffic is chaotic, traffic lights are out of order across the country, and some residents walk for hours to their homes in the middle of summer.
The president strongly criticized Boric and angrily retorted: "What happened today is outrageous! Certain companies must not be allowed to influence the daily lives of millions of Chileans.
