After a massive power outage in Argentina left millions across the country without electricity, an expert has called for greater investment in its electricity network.
The disaster was caused by a failure in the electrical grid that connects both Argentina and Uruguay, and delayed the voting process for the local elections in the former, in addition to hampering numerous municipal services.
It occured on 16 June shortly after 7AM, local time, and also affected parts of Paraguay and Chile, according to a state energy company.
Ankit Mathur, practice head of power at market intelligence firm, said: “The power outage uncovered the decrepit state of power infrastructure in Argentina and with an increasing population and urbanization the power demand is set to rise in the country.
“In order to deal with such power interruptions, it is crucial that the country invests heavily in electricity network expansion.
“The revamp of the age old infrastructure and transformation of the power generating sources to clean energy technologies must be aided with the technological advancements for faster acceleration.”
The damage to the electricy network in Argentina warrants a similarly weighty response
The areas in Argentina affected by the power outage include Santa Fe, San Luis, Formosa, La Rioja, Chubut, Cordoba and Mendoza.
The country’s media said it was linked to a failure in the transmission of electricity from the Yacycretá hydroelectric dam.
“The country proposed a plan with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model two years ago to infuse investments to revamp the country’s ageing infrastructure,” said Mr Mathur.
“Unfortunately, the deepening economic crisis amid high inflation, high interest rate and weakened local currency brought the infrastructure projects to a halt.
“The Argentinian government’s PPP program included 60 projects for implementation spanning across major infrastructure and social sectors including energy, transport and mining.
“PPP projects for energy and power included public lighting replacement to LED lights and construction of 3,300 kms new high-voltage electric transmission lines.
“These upcoming transmission projects will help reduce the limited grid availability issue faced by the generators.”
