Baja California Sur endures four days of blackouts; latest failure hit 33,000 users

Baja California Sur is grappling with widespread power outages and intermittent service for the fourth consecutive day, causing significant disruptions across La Paz and other areas. The situation has been exacerbated by high temperatures, with the region experiencing highs of over 40 degrees Celsius.

The most severe incident occurred on Thursday, affecting at least 33,000 customers. The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) confirmed the outage was due to a failure at the La Paz Substation. While service began to be restored on Thursday afternoon, many residents in various neighborhoods continued to report power loss or fluctuations into Friday morning.

These prolonged blackouts have had a cascading effect on daily life. Traffic lights in several intersections have ceased to function, leading to considerable congestion on major roads. Businesses and offices have also reported significant impacts, with some forced to close or reduce operations. The Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) suspended evening classes for the second time this week due to the unreliable electricity supply.

Governor Víctor Castro Cosío acknowledged the public's frustration, issuing a statement that attributed the issue to a "temporary interruption" by the CFE. He assured that full service would be restored by 7:00 PM. The power problems began on Monday, August 17th, with an initial outage affecting approximately 6,200 users. The ongoing failures during the peak of summer heat have intensified the hardship for residents and businesses reliant on cooling systems and refrigeration.

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CFE presented “a temporary interruption” yesterday, and that by 7:00 PM the service would be restored one hundred percent.