Manaus power outages hit multiple neighborhoods following substation shutdown

Manaus, Brazil, experienced significant power outages following a shutdown at the Cachoeira Grande substation. The disruption affected several neighborhoods, including Parque Dez de Novembro, Parque das Laranjeiras, and Novo Aleixo. Residents reported power fluctuations and damage to household appliances, with some areas losing electricity for over five hours.

This incident marks the fourth major load interruption in the Amazonas electrical system since August. The outage involved the automatic shutdown of the Tucunaré thermoelectric plant, operated by Âmbar Energia, a company controlled by J&F. According to the National Electric System Operator (ONS), the event included the shutdown of the Redenção substation and transmission lines.

Âmbar Energia stated that a lightning strike during rainfall in Manaus hit a distribution line, causing the disruption. While power was largely restored within an hour of the incident, the frequency of these outages has raised concerns regarding the reliability of the regional energy supply.