More than 1.5 million customers were left without power in Colombia following the earthquake
In Colombia, following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck on August 10, approximately 1,700 megawatts of load were disconnected from the power grid. More than 1.5 million households and businesses in seven departments of the country were left without power in the first few hours, according to The Rio Times, citing Colombia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy.
The disconnected load accounted for approximately 18% of the country’s total electricity consumption at the time of the earthquake. The affected western departments were Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, Quindío, Cauca, and Nariño.
According to XM, the national power grid operator, power plants continued to operate. The outages were caused by the unavailability and damage to regional transmission facilities and local distribution networks, including power lines, poles, and substations.
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Later that same day, total electricity consumption in Colombia had recovered to approximately 99% of the level recorded before the earthquake. In the hardest-hit areas, restoration took longer: by August 15, service had been restored to over 97% of affected users, and as of August 19, the ministry estimated the restoration rate at 99%.
In the department of Chocó, the initial outage was nearly total. According to XM, power supply issues persisted at the 115-kilovolt El Siete and Quibdó substations due to malfunctions in the regional transmission grid.
Official statements did not characterize the incident as a threat of a nationwide blackout. Authorities also did not announce any rationing or planned restrictions on electricity consumption.
