Latest Update:
* The blackout started on Sunday 6/16 at 7:07 AM local time (6:07 ET, 10:07GMT) in the "interconnection system" known as SADI between Argentina and Paraguay.
* A local consensus believes that the fault happened in the 500 kV line interconnecting two large hydro plants, Yacyreta (~3,000MW ) & Salto Grande (1,890 MW).
* Yacyretá Dam in Uruguay denied that its power station had caused the problem, saying it was in normal working order, the protections kicked in automatically in the Uruguayan system.
* Argentina relies mostly on thermal generation (60% of installed capacity) and hydropower generation (36%), nuclear (3%) and others (1%).
* Generation occurs in a competitive and mostly liberalized market in which 75% of the generation capacity is owned by private utilities. In contrast, the transmission and distribution sectors are highly regulated and much less competitive than generation.
* The authorities aren't ruling out a cyber attack - though it's not their primary hypothesis.
* The blackout affected not only Argentina and Uruguay but also partially Chile and the south of Brazil.
* The failure in transmission triggered an “alteration in the frequency” and automatic safety responses kicked in at power stations across the country.
* Approximately 75% of the electric service was restored by noon today Monday 6/17.
* The blackout also delayed voting on Sunday for Argentina's gubernatorial elections in the provinces of Santa Fe, Formosa and San Luis.
* The authority is announcing that the official report may be available in 10 days to two weeks or so.
Below is a simplified map illustrating the location of the fault identified at this time.
Something that I read yesterday said it was a 500kVDC intertie transmission line that failed, which jives with Cuky’s post. The initial report was a downed line, but they were investigating how it went down. Cyber attacks don’t break physical wires, but there is so much hype about that right now that it gets people to read articles. It could be as mundane as poor maintenance or it could be sabotage, but either way it’s likely going to be a while before we hear the results of an investigation. It it was a maintenance failure, they will not want to admit that for fear of lawsuits (ala PG&E here in California with the Camp Fire this year), or if it was sabotage, they will want to squelch the finding until they can catch the culprits.
" We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know." -- W. H. Auden
