2025 Chile blackout
Tobalaba station of the Santiago Metro during the initial minutes of the blackout | |
| Date | 25 February – 13 March 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3:16 PM – 12:59 PM (CLT) |
| Location | Chile (nearly nationwide) |
| Type | Power outage |
| Cause | Malfunction in electronic and software protection systems, leading to the disconnection of a high-voltage transmission line. (see § Cause below) |
| Outcome | Over 90% of the population affected; disruptions and shutdowns of critical infrastructure, services, and industries. (see § Impact below) |
The 2025 Chile blackout was a major power outage that occurred on 25 February 2025, affecting over 90% of the population of Chile and causing widespread disruptions to critical infrastructure, services, and industries across the country.
In response, President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency, imposed an overnight curfew from 10:00 PM on 25 February to 6:00 AM the following day, and initiated an investigation into the causes of the outage. By 26 February, power had been restored to approximately 94% of households, although some areas continued to experience intermittent outages.
The blackout was attributed to electricity distributor ISA Interchile, a subsidiary of the Colombian state-owned company ISA. A malfunction in electronic and software protection systems led to the disconnection of a critical 500 kV high-voltage transmission line between the Vallenar and Coquimbo power stations in the Norte Chico region. This caused a disturbance in the national power system, triggering a near-nationwide blackout, while other power stations repeatedly failed in their attempts to come back online.