CGE Reports on Electrical Service Status in La Araucanía's Lakeside Area Amid Storm
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- CGE reports approximately 19,000 customers are without power in the La Araucanía region due to strong winds.
- The company has deployed 87 brigades, with reinforcements arriving from other regions, to address the outage.
- Efforts are underway to support electro-dependent patients and restore power, though high winds are slowing repairs.
CGE, an electricity distribution company, has reported that approximately 19,000 customers in the La Araucanía region are currently without power due to severe windstorms. The affected areas, primarily the lakeside communes of Villarrica and Pucón, are experiencing wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h. CGE has mobilized 87 brigades to manage the emergency, with additional personnel being sent from other regions to bolster repair efforts.
The company is prioritizing the needs of 74 registered electro-dependent patients in the affected zone. CGE provided fuel for their home hospitalization equipment on Tuesday and will reinforce this measure on Wednesday. Additionally, five backup power generation units have been installed, restoring supply to parts of Curarrehue and Pucón while repairs continue on damaged infrastructure.
Repair work is being hampered by persistent strong winds, which are slowing down efforts to fix power lines, particularly those damaged by fallen trees outside safety zones. Christian Bachur, CGE's southern regional director, emphasized that the safety of technical teams is paramount and that repair operations will proceed only when weather and safety conditions permit. CGE is coordinating closely with municipal emergency services and monitoring information from Senapred, while also reminding customers of the dangers of approaching damaged electrical infrastructure.
Originally published by Cooperativa in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.