Chile faced one of the biggest power outages in recent years. On February 25, 2025, a major part of the country was left without electricity for hours due to a malfunction. While 14 out of 16 regions, including the capital Santiago, were affected by the blackout, millions of people were unable to continue their daily lives.
Interior Minister Carolina Toha stated that the power outage was caused by a fault in a high-voltage transmission line in the north and emphasized that there was no possibility of sabotage. However, President Gabriel Boric blamed private companies for the situation and announced that the state would hold them accountable.
Due to the power outage, subway services were halted in Chile’s major cities and most of the traffic lights became inoperable. Authorities reported that only 27% of traffic lights in Santiago were active and urged people to stay at home. Santiago’s largest international airport used emergency generators to keep flights running.
The government deployed armed forces to restore order and imposed a curfew in a large area stretching from the north to the south of the country. The electricity operator announced overnight that 90% of electricity supply had been restored across the country.
This massive outage caused mines to shut down in Chile, the world’s largest copper producer. This has also affected global metal markets. Chile is planning to take urgent measures to repower its power grid.