Chile's Power Outage Sparks Curfew and Copper Market Jolt

A significant power outage in Chile affected the capital, Santiago, and northern copper mines, impacting global metal markets. Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed a transmission failure caused the blackout. The government issued a curfew and deployed armed forces to maintain order while power restoration efforts continued.

A sweeping power outage darkened Chile's capital, Santiago, and disrupted electricity at key northern copper mines on Tuesday, sending ripples through global metal markets. With darkness enveloping the country, the Chilean government declared a state of emergency and set a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., spanning from Arica in the north to Los Lagos in the south.

Interior Minister Carolina Toha attributed the blackout to a transmission line failure in the north, dispelling rumors of a cyber attack. This outage—the largest in Chile in years—plunged Santiago into darkness, stalled the metro, and left emergency sirens echoing through the streets. The Interior Ministry ensured the deployment of armed forces to sustain order amidst the chaos.

By late Tuesday, power had been restored to approximately half of the affected 8 million homes. Chile's President, Gabriel Boric, criticized the involved companies, emphasizing the government's responsibility to ensure such disruptions do not impact citizens' lives. The outage disrupted operations at several significant copper mines, including Escondida and those managed by state-owned Codelco, yet most mines resumed partial operations using backup generators.