Rio Power Outages Persist as Light Starts Removing Generators in Copacabana and Leme

Overview

• Light links the instability to two distinct causes: cable theft in zones such as Copacabana, Leme and Barra, and obsolete high‑voltage underground lines serving the Cachambi/Méier area.
• In Copacabana and Leme, 62 street generators were installed after thefts of 3.5 km of cables from a 60 km network; 12 have been taken out and 30 more are slated for withdrawal by the weekend, with full removal expected in roughly 30 days.
• Modernization at the Cachambi substation includes replacing about two kilometers of subterranean cables and using generators to support operations, with completion targeted by the end of May.
• Residents and businesses report lengthy blackouts and oscillations in Tijuca, Rio Comprido, Cachambi, Recreio and Barra, with episodes lasting up to 26 hours, appliance damage, elevator rescues and losses such as roughly R$90,000 and over 100 kg of spoiled goods at one restaurant.
• Procon Carioca has notified Light over prolonged outages and is weighing fines after the company’s defense, while a joint police–utility task force operates under Operação Caminhos do Cobre to curb cable theft; Light also attributed one Tijuca interruption to an unauthorized load increase by a restaurant.