Severe Storms Cause Widespread Power Outages in Asunción and Metropolitan Area; Restoration Efforts Ongoing

On the afternoon of the storm, high winds, hail, and electrical storms led to the failure of 83 electrical feeders operating at 23,000 volts across 23 distribution centers in Asunción and surrounding areas. Approximately 170,000 clients were initially left without power. As of the latest updates, 57 feeders have been restored, with 12 centers still pending normalization, leaving key neighborhoods such as Barrio Parque, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Villa Elisa, and parts of Mariano Roque Alonso and San Antonio affected. The outages are attributed to downed cables, fallen poles—including four in Villa Elisa with one supporting a transformer damaged—and debris obstructing lines.

ANDE’s interim Metropolitan Distribution Director, Gabriel Cuevas, confirmed the outages impacted nearly 16,000 users at the peak disruption and attributed remaining outages to specific technical faults like loose cables. The utility increased its repair workforce to accelerate recovery, targeting full restoration by midday for medium voltage lines, while low-voltage areas may see staggered service reactivation. The state company reiterated multiple channels for customer service, including WhatsApp, a mobile app, a website, and a call center to report issues.

The storm’s impact also extended to traffic infrastructure, with numerous traffic lights deactivated due to their reliance on electrical distribution. ANDE suggested that installing generators at major intersections could reduce such failures in future weather events. Users continue to express dissatisfaction on social media about recurrent outages, especially in areas like Sajonia, highlighting concerns of equipment damage from frequent interruptions.

The event reflects ongoing vulnerabilities in urban electrical infrastructure exposed by severe weather, underscoring the need for system enhancements. ANDE’s operational response capacity remains critical as climate events increase in frequency and intensity, influencing energy resilience and service reliability in the metropolitan area.