A breakdown at a key electrical substation left most of northeastern Brazil without power overnight Friday, affecting millions of people, the electricity company said. The blackout, which began at 11:30 pm Thursday (0130 GMT) and ended four and a half hours later, hit eight of Brazil's nine northeastern states.
The head of the Sao Francisco Hydroelectric Company, Mozart Bandeira Arnaud, said a substation in the state of Pernambuco shut off after an electronic component of its protective system failed. "Because it was an important installation, the effects were felt in several regions," he told the media.
The shutdown blocked the flow of power through six high tension lines and from three hydroelectric plants, he said. Brazil's power grid is subject to frequent breakdowns. One of the biggest struck south-eastern Brazil - the country's industrial and economic heartland - in November 2009, affecting 70 million Brazilians.
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