Braskem activates safety flare at Grande ABC petrochemical complex after power outage
A sudden power outage around 5:28 a.m. on 27 July caused an interruption of electricity to the Grande ABC region of São Paulo. The outage affected the entire ABC petrochemical pole, including the Capuava complex in Mauá, after a substation in the city’s east zone was shut down. Braskem activated its standard safety flare at approximately 5:30 a.m. to protect operations, producing large flames that were visible for kilometres. Energy supply was fully restored by 5:41 a.m. through coordinated actions by Enel Distribuição São Paulo, ISA Energia Brasil and the Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico (ONS). The causes of the outage are still under investigation. Braskem said the flare complies with international safety, health and environmental norms and announced that a second flare activation is planned for the early hours of 28 July to enable a complete restart of the units.
Entities: Braskem · Braskem S.A. · Capuava petrochemical complex · Enel Distribuição São Paulo · Grande ABC Petrochemical Complex · ISA Energia · ISA Energia Brasil · Mauá · Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico (ONS)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The flare was activated after a regional power outage at around 5:30 a.m. (null)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Energy supply was fully restored by 5:41 a.m. (null)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The causes of the power outage are still under investigation by the companies involved. (null)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The power outage affected the entire ABC petrochemical pole and was due to a substation shutdown in the east zone of São Paulo’s capital. (null)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Braskem says the flare is a standard safety device used worldwide and complies with international safety, health, and environmental protection norms. (null)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The flames were caused by the activation of a safety flare device. (Braskem statement)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Large flames were observed at the Capuava petrochemical complex in Mauá on the morning of 27 July 2026. (null)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Braskem will activate its safety flare again during the early hours of 28 July. (Braskem)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The flare activation produced a bright flash visible for kilometres and a loud noise that alarmed nearby residents. (Braskem/Local observations)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The flare activation is intended to resume full operations after the power outage. (Braskem)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A second flare activation was planned for the early morning of 28 July to enable full operational restart. (null)
- [● 2 SOURCES] ISA Energia reported a short‑duration outage at a substation in São Paulo’s east zone at 05:28, caused by a transmission line incident. (null)