Enel, the electricity concessionaire for São Paulo and the metropolitan region, did not give a time frame for restoring electricity supply. Nearly 1.3 million customers remained in the dark until Thursday evening (12/11), after an extratropical cyclone hit the state and brought wind gusts of 98 km/h.
Searched by MetropolisesEnel said its “teams remain engaged in emergency response operations.”
“In some localities, restoration is more complex, as it involves the complete reconstruction of the network, the replacement of poles, transformers and, sometimes, the rerouting of kilometers of cables,” the company explained.
The concessionaire highlighted that it has restored energy supply to approximately 1.2 million customers, among the more than 2.2 million affected by the extratropical cyclone that hit the concession area this Wednesday (12/10).
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Trees fall on cars in Ibirapuera
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Trees fall on cars in Ibirapuera
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Brasil Avenue, towards Ibirapuera Park
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Trees fall on cars in south SP
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Wind felled trees in São Paulo
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Wind felled trees in São Paulo
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Wind felled trees in São Paulo
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Wind damage hits São Bernardo
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Firefighters received more than 500 calls for falling trees. Cars, buses and roads blocked after wind
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Wind felled trees in southern São Paulo
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Wind felled trees in São Paulo
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Wind felled trees in São Paulo
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“Approximately 300,000 new cases arrived today (Thursday) requesting service, due to persistent winds. Currently, the company is working to restore service to approximately 1.3 million customers (15.6% of the distributor’s base),” the note said.
Still according to Enel, firefighters recorded more than 1,300 calls related to falling trees.
“The weather event caused serious damage to electrical infrastructure, affecting the supply of several regions. To accelerate the restoration of the system, the distributor is mobilizing more than 1,600 teams in the field throughout the day,” indicated the dealer.
To respond to priority situations, the company indicated that it was making more than 700 generators available. “Enel São Paulo reaffirms that it will continue to work until electricity is restored to all customers affected by the effects of the cyclone,” the company said.
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Nunes attacks Enel after power outage: “Irresponsibility”
In a video posted on social networks, the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes (MDB), attacked Enel over the power outage, which he described as yet another “irresponsibility” on the part of the company. “Regardless of the weather phenomenon, millions of people are left without energy,” he said.
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The post shows the mayor arriving home at 10:35 p.m. During the recording, Nunes claims that 137 trees have already fallen in São Paulo, of which 35 will be removed after Enel cuts off the electricity to be able to carry out the removal.
The Mayor also commended the City Hall team for their work in responding to high wind incidents. But he stressed that the removal of fallen trees depended on Enel’s actions.
THE Metropolises asked for Enel’s position regarding the mayor’s criticism and is awaiting comment.
Clashes between town hall and Enel
The town hall informs that, since last year, two letters have been sent to the Federal Audit Court (TCU) and two others to Aneel requesting effective measures against the concessionaire, in addition to greater inspection of the concession contract and the application of a fine against Enel.
The mayor also asked the regulatory agency to cancel the city of São Paulo’s electricity concession contract.
This year, Nunes also organized meetings with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and with the president of the Chamber of Deputies at the time, Arthur Lira, to modify the electricity concession contracts.
Last year, the municipal administration sent letters to the Consumer Protection and Defense Program (Procon) of São Paulo requesting a fine against Enel, due to the concessionaire’s delay in restoring energy in the municipality after the power outage that hit the city in November – also affecting more than 2 million users.
At the judicial level, the town hall filed a complaint forcing Enel to present an emergency plan and a preventive calendar for the rainy season. The court ruled in favor of the municipal management.
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