Ecuador was hit with a nationwide blackout Wednesday reportedly due to a transmission line failure caused by a “cascade disconnection,” according to government officials.
The country’s Public Infrastructure Minister Roberto Luque took to Twitter stating that a report from the National Center for Energy Control (CENACE) allegedly revealed the failed transmission line and confirmed that authorities were attempting to resolve the issue quickly. (RELATED: America’s Power Grid Could Buckle Under Sweltering Summer Heat, Watchdog Warns)
“The immediate report that we received from CENACE is that there is a failure in the transmission line that caused a cascade disconnection, so there is no energy service on a national scale. We are concentrating all our efforts on resolving the problem as quickly as possible,” Luque wrote.
El reporte inmediato que nos llegó de CENACE es que existe una falla en la línea de transmisión que ocasionó una desconexión en cascada, por lo que no hay servicio energético a escala nacional.
Estamos concentrando todos nuestros esfuerzos en resolver el problema lo más rápido.
— Roberto Luque (@RobertoLuqueN) June 19, 2024
Reports indicated the blackout affected the country’s hospitals, homes and a major subway system, according to CNN. While there are no indications of anyone being harmed due to the loss of power, CNN reported residents in the nation’s largest city of Guayaquil are currently dealing with 90-degree Fahrenheit heat.
“It’s unbearable, it’s so hot and humid, and we can’t use an air conditioner or a ventilator,” a resident told CNN. “On top of this, the water is not running.”
Following the incident, Quito’s Mayor Pabel Muñoz posted on Twitter confirming the issue affected their subway system and stated he ordered the “activation of all the reaction teams.”
“I have ordered the activation of all the reaction teams of the Municipality of Quito so that they join in facilitating mobility, preventing accidents at the main intersections and taking care of public spaces. Municipal services that use electric lighting are suspended. I will report the news I receive from the national government,” Muñoz wrote.
Nearly two months ago in April, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared an energy emergency after naming an interim energy minister due to the country’s ongoing struggle with a drought affecting hydro-electricity production, according to Reuters.
