Vandalism on 400 kV Lines Caused Southeast Mexico Blackout, CFE Says

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Vandalism on two 400-kilovolt transmission lines triggered the massive blackout that hit the Yucatan Peninsula and other parts of southeastern Mexico on the night of Aug. 31, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) confirmed.

The state-owned utility initially reported only that the two lines had disconnected simultaneously without giving a cause. After technicians inspected the affected structures, they found direct damage to the insulator strings — the components that keep high-voltage conductors electrically isolated from the steel towers — and determined the damage was intentional, CFE said.

The failure of those components forced both lines out of service and set off a large-scale disturbance across the regional power grid, causing partial outages in Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas. The outage began at about 7:21 p.m. local time, according to reports from Yucatan.

Restoration underway

CFE said early Tuesday that power had been restored to 55% of affected customers, up from 25% shortly after the outage began. Crews were replacing the damaged insulator strings, and one of the two transmission lines already had its insulators replaced.

The utility is working with the National Energy Control Center (CENACE) to restore generation and gradually bring loads back online, including synchronizing the Riviera Maya Valladolid power plant. Hospitals in the affected region have power either from the grid or from emergency generators, CFE said.

Outages across Yucatan

In Merida, blackouts were reported in neighborhoods including Francisco de Montejo, Juan Pablo II, Maria Luisa, Jardines del Norte, Altabrisa, Santa Fe, Pinos and Campestre. Outages also hit parts of Tixcacal Opichen, Pedregales de Tanlum, Xoclan, Mulsay, Bosques de Yucalpeten and Nora Quintana in the west, and San Antonio Xluch, Emiliano Zapata Sur, Cinco Colonias and San Jose Tecoh in the south. In the east, affected areas included Chichi Suarez, Poligono 108, Ampliacion Miraflores and Morelos Oriente.

Numerous other Yucatan municipalities also lost power, including Caucel, Tzucacab, Izamal, Progreso, Cansahcab, Samahil, Kinchil, Hunucma, Seye, Celestun, Peto, Ucu, Xocchel, Dzidzantun, Ticul, Valladolid and Tizimin.

In Tizimin, the outage was not citywide. Southern, central and western areas went dark while some northern sectors kept electricity. Outages were also reported in outlying communities such as Dzonot Carretero and Sucopo. The interruption coincided with hot, humid weather across much of Yucatan, leaving residents without fans or air conditioning.

Questions remain

CFE has not said precisely where the vandalism occurred, how many users lost power, or whether any arrests have been made or a criminal complaint filed. The commission said it is coordinating with state and municipal governments in the affected regions.

The blackout, the utility said, was not caused by a random failure or weather but by intentional damage to critical transmission infrastructure. With more than half of affected customers back online, crews continue working toward full restoration as the investigation into who damaged the lines continues.