Minister of Mines and Energy explains that blackout occurred due to localized electrical failure: ‘It was not a lack of energy’

Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, explained on Tuesday (14) what happened during the night that caused a blackout affecting the Federal District and at least 18 states, in all regions of the country. As the ministry had already informed, the failure was caused by a fire at the Bateias substation in Campo Largo, in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba (PR). Silveira emphasized that it was a ‘electrical problem’ at a large station and that the shutdown did not occur due to ‘lack of energy’. According to Silveira, the station where the fire occurred generated a significant interruption in the energy flow, and since the system operates ‘practically automated’ by the National System Operator (ONS), there was a scheduled power cut to prevent a more significant interruption in the country. The statement was given to the Bom Dia Ministro program, transmitted by EBC.