Power Outage Ends in Puerto Iguazú After Storm

The provincial utility Energía de Misiones completed work on the 132 kV lines that serve the city, re-establishing the normal configuration of the Provincial Interconnected System. The failures spanned nearly 100 kilometers, affecting the segment between the Puerto Mineral Substation and Puerto Iguazú.

According to the company, the root cause was the buildup of eucalyptus bark from plantations near Ruta Nacional 12. Strong winds from the Sunday, November 1 storms lifted the material onto the lines. The bark absorbs water and retains sap, which enhances electrical conductivity and creates short circuits when it becomes trapped between conductors or between a conductor and a pole.

Teams identified about a dozen points affected by this phenomenon, some in hard-to-reach areas for the required cranes. In addition to Puerto Iguazú, the storms damaged infrastructure in Eldorado, 9 de Julio, Liniers, Montecarlo, Puerto Piray, Puerto Esperanza and Wanda. Service was restored in most of these locations during the early morning hours, although some rural and low-voltage sectors still experienced issues.

In San Pedro, restoration depended on repairs to more than six damaged poles on the 33 kV trunk line, which also supplies Cruce Caballero, Tobuna, Piñalito, Dos Hermanas, Pozo Azul, Bernardo de Irigoyen and San Antonio.

Source: Eldópolis