Eletrobras reported, this Monday (2), that the blackout which left around 1 million consumers in São Paulo and Guarulhos without power, last Saturday (31), was caused by a kite tail, made of a metal line, which contains aluminum in its composition, the so-called “Chilean line”, which fell into a substation.
A video from the company shows the moment of the incident that occurred over the weekend. At 5:30 p.m., as shown in the video, the kite hits the first busbar of the substation. The short circuit triggered the protection systems to prevent further damage to the equipment and shut down the first busbar.
Twelve seconds later, as can be seen in the same video, a wire made of metal thread hits the second busbar and causes a new short circuit. The protection systems are activated again, leading to the total shutdown of the substation, which is made up of two busbars.
In 2023 alone, Eletrobras recorded five incidents in substations caused by kites. Flying kites or balloons and setting fires in places close to transmission lines poses a risk to people and also to the operation of the power grid.
