Amazonas Faces New Blackout: J&F Power Plants Shut Down Once More, Disrupting Energy Supply.
The electrical system in Amazonas experienced a significant failure again on Saturday night, September 26th. A load interruption and the shutdown of the Pirarucu and Jaraqui thermoelectric plants, owned by the J&F group, caused an immediate impact on the energy supply.
According to preliminary information from the National Electric System Operator (ONS), the event led to the interruption of approximately 196.57 MW of load. This situation is concerning, as it represents the second occurrence in less than a month involving the same plants and the João Paulo substation, indicating a recurring vulnerability in the infrastructure.
The failure occurred around 10:36 PM, directly affecting the 69 kV system loads managed by Âmbar Energia Amazonas, also under J&F‘s control, and served by the aforementioned substation. In addition to the load interruption, about 119 MW of generation was suspended, with 56 MW from UTE Pirarucu and 63 MW from UTE Jaraqui.
Repetitive Failures Raise Alarm
This is the second incident in September involving the same facilities. On the 3rd of the same month, an automatic shutdown in the 138/69 kV transformer at the João Paulo substation, combined with the shutdown of UTEs Pirarucu and Jaraqui, resulted in a 169.4 MW interruption. On that occasion, six generating units from the two thermoelectric plants were also affected.
Generating units UG1, UG2, UG4, and UG5 of UTE Pirarucu, as well as units UG6 and UG7 of UTE Jaraqui, went offline simultaneously at 10:36 PM. The restoration of operations occurred in stages, with units returning to service between 11:08 PM and 11:38 PM.
The normalization of the 138/69 kV transformer at the João Paulo substation began at 10:41 PM, with the restoration of interrupted loads starting at 11:19 PM. Full system recovery was consolidated at 12:21 AM on Sunday, September 27th.
Analysis and Recent History
The ONS has already initiated procedures to thoroughly analyze the incident, in collaboration with the agents involved in the system. This incident adds to other recent occurrences in the Amazonian electrical system involving assets from J&F and Âmbar Energia Amazonas.
On August 20th, for example, the automatic shutdown of six substations and UTE Tucunaré caused a 294 MW interruption. A new failure occurred during the recomposition process, when four substations shut down again, resulting in a further interruption of 121 MW.
The recurrence of these failures raises questions about the robustness and reliability of the energy infrastructure in the region, especially considering periods of high demand and the need for stable supply for the population and economic activities.
The report contacted Âmbar Amazonas Energia seeking a statement on the recent events, and this space remains open for the distributor’s response.
