Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo: A rare nationwide blackout that left nearly 11 million people without electricity has been traced to an improper manual disconnection at the 138 kV San Pedro de Macorís I substation, according to a new technical report from the Coordinating Body of the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI). The incident, which occurred on 11 November, caused a prolonged outage that paralysed transportation, businesses and public services across the country.
The report states that the incorrect handling of a live line caused a high-intensity short circuit, activating protection systems across the network. This led to a chain reaction of line disconnections, separating 575 MW of Eastern generation from the rest of the grid and creating a sudden imbalance between supply and demand. Several large power plants tripped automatically in accordance with safety protocols.
Although SENI initially stabilised system frequency for 89 seconds, the absence of sufficient synchronised cold reserve caused a rapid frequency drop and a total system collapse.
During the blackout, Santo Domingo’s metro and aerial cable cars shut down, leaving commuters to walk through tunnels. Hospitals and banks operated on generators, while many homes and small businesses remained without power. Traffic gridlock extended across the capital, and businesses such as barbershops and shops were forced to close when cooling systems and lighting failed.
Energy Minister Joel Santos said power was being restored gradually and confirmed that authorities are carrying out a detailed investigation. SENI’s report recommends installing additional protective devices at double-busbar substations, integrating battery storage for auxiliary and backup power, and adjusting protection and disconnection schemes to strengthen system resilience.
Source: Factor This / Prensa Latina
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