Four days after the extratropical cyclone that blacked out over 2 million properties in São Paulo, Enel reports restoration nearing normalcy with 76 external teams aiding efforts, though ~160,000 properties remain affected as of December 14. Federal threats loom over potential concession revocation amid ongoing criticism.
Following the cyclone's impact on December 10—with winds up to 98 km/h toppling trees and damaging infrastructure, initially affecting over 2 million properties—the outage has steadily declined: from 1.5 million on December 11, 800,000 on December 12, 470,000 on December 13, to about 160,000 by Sunday morning (14/12). By 9:02 PM, Enel noted 46,129 without power in the capital, 12,496 in Cotia, and 3,547 in Itapecerica da Serra.
Enel mobilized 76 external teams—40 from its Ceará and Rio de Janeiro units, plus 36 from Light, Elektro, CPFL, and Cemig—following Aneel's directive after a Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) meeting. A joint Arsesp inspection confirmed operations normalizing, with Enel stating 'power supply is returning to standard normality' amid complex repairs like cable and pole replacements.
Impacts persisted: over 500 Fire Department calls for trees, traffic disruptions, water shortages (Sabesp pumps powerless), 300+ flight cancellations, and a fatality—a woman hit by a falling tree in Guarulhos on December 12.
Politically, MME warned Enel risks losing its concession if quality indices falter, per President Lula's oversight push. Minister Alexandre Silveira rebuked Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and Mayor Ricardo Nunes for politicizing, while Enel faults city hall for tree maintenance. TCU's Public Ministry urged suspending Aneel's contract renewal actions, citing 'grave failures.'
