Massive power outages hit Buenos Aires amid extreme heat

Residents in Buenos Aires reported widespread power outages across Argentina’s capital on Thursday, as extreme heat blanketed the city.

Massive blackouts hit several neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires City and its surrounding areas, affecting nearly one million people, according to government figures. 

Local newspaper Clarin reported that they were triggered by two high tension lines going out of service, but the exact cause of the outages remains unknown.

Edenor, one of two power distributors that serves Buenos Aires, earlier this week issued an alert warning about risks from high temperatures amid a heat wave that has swept the city in recent days. Hours before the outages, the company used social media to urge residents to limit the use of air conditioning to avoid overloading demand.

Government data showed that more than 840,000 Edenor customers were without power as of 4pm local time. Roughly 56,000 customers of Edesur, the other provider, lacked electricity. The figures showed that power was gradually being restored. 

Neither Edenor nor Argentina’s Energy Secretariat immediately responded to requests for comment.

Electricity outages were concentrated in northern parts of the city, including neighborhoods Belgrano, Palermo, Villa del Parque, Mataderos and Saavedra. Parts of neighbouring districts of Vicente López and Olivos were also without electricity. Several subway lines experienced delays and service interruptions, local newspaper La Nación reported.

Power outages in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area are not uncommon, as the densely populated region continues to struggle with energy infrastructure that has failed to keep pace with peak summer demand.