According to the first report by the National Electrical System Operator (ONS) on the national blackout on August 15, electricity generators did not send correct information about the performance of their equipment to the ONS. Incorrect data, in turn, would have compromised the planning and operation of the system.
The ONS is a body responsible for controlling the operations of the electricity generation and transmission facilities of the National Interconnected System (SIN), under the supervision and regulation of the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) of Brazil.
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The agency did not specify which companies or sources (hydroelectric, thermal, wind or solar) would have provided the inaccurate data, but since the blackout, hydroelectric activity has increased to ensure more stability in energy generation and transmission.
Previously, the ONS had also indicated that the incorrect data could have come from a failure in the transmission line between Quixadá and Fortaleza, in Ceará, which is part of the São Francisco Hydroelectric Company (Chesf), a subsidiary of Eletrobras in the Northeast region. So far, however, there is not enough information to confirm the origin of the problem.
“In the simulations carried out by the operator with the parameters sent by the agents at the start of operation of the generating plants, which make up the official ONS database, it was not possible to reproduce the disturbance that occurred on August 15”, highlighted the ONS text .
“In all tests carried out with these data, no voltage reduction was observed that violates network procedures, such as the one that occurred after the shutdown of the 500 kV LT Quixadá – Fortaleza II”, highlights the document.
Even so, the generators had to resend the information after the blackout. “Only with the information received from the agents after the occurrence was it possible to reproduce, in the simulation environment, the disturbance of the 15th of August”, says the text.
“Based on this new information, the ONS carried out a thorough analysis of the sequence of events and tested multiple scenarios, which showed signs that the performance of the equipment reported by the agents to the ONS before the occurrence is different from the performance presented in the field. It is important to highlight that the problem identified is not directly related to the type of generating source”, states the document.
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On August 15th
On the 15th of August, several states in Brazil were affected by a large-scale blackout. After 8:30 in the morning, reports of power outages began to multiply on the internet.
There was a power outage in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pará, Tocantins, Amazonas, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
In a note released on the day of the blackout, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) reported that an occurrence in the operation network of the National Interconnected System (SIN) interrupted 16,000 MW of load in states in the North and Northeast and also harmed the Southeast. .
The text did not mention the other regions where power cuts were reported by the population. According to the folder, “the interruption occurred due to the opening, at 8:31 am, of the North/Southeast interconnection and the causes of the occurrence are still being investigated.”
Minister Alexandre Silveira determined the creation of a situation room to monitor the problem and determine the causes that led to the interruption of supply.
Editing: Rodrigo Chagas