Electrical system withstands earthquake and faces El Niño warning

On August 20, 2026, information released about the energy sector revealed that an earthquake that occurred on August 10 put the response capacity and resilience of the electrical system to the test. The abrupt disconnection of about eighteen percent of the demand generated a severe imbalance that almost resulted in a national blackout, as explained by Juan Carlos Morales, XM's manager.

How the earthquake affected the electrical grid

The tremor affected the infrastructure of local distribution systems and caused the disconnection of equipment connected to the National Transmission System due to protection mechanisms. This sudden drop of a large amount of demand caused a frequency spike in the National Interconnected System. The control center acted immediately to balance the system and coordinate with operators for demand recovery, even facing communication difficulties with locations that became completely isolated.

The next major challenge with the El Niño phenomenon

In addition to the earthquake, the manager warned that there is a probability of over ninety percent for the occurrence of a strong El Niño phenomenon. This climatic condition tends to raise temperatures and demand, besides drastically reducing water inflows to the system, whose matrix is based on hydroelectric energy. The situation will require the coordinated operation of the entire value chain and the operation of the thermal power fleet at maximum capacity for more than five consecutive months.

Infrastructure restrictions and controlled rationing

Currently, regions such as the Caribbean, Valledupar, Chinú, Magdalena, Northeast, Eastern zone, and northern Bogotá are already facing overload and controlled rationing. Rising temperatures increase residential consumption, highlighting infrastructure restrictions and delays in transmission projects that hinder the normal operation of the National Interconnected System.

Uncertainty in water inflows and preventive measures

Water inflows fluctuated between forty and fifty percent of the historical average in El Niño scenarios. Although there was a recent positive variation in reservoirs over a single weekend, the recommendation is to adopt preventive measures and maximize thermal generation to preserve reservoir levels before the dry period.

Energy exports and reliability

Energy exports to Ecuador occur exclusively through thermal generation, which imposes an additional challenge due to the need for prolonged maintenance on thermal plants. The scenario demands a comprehensive review of current rules and conditions to guarantee the country's energy reliability and mitigate future risks.

With information from El Colombiano.