Central São Paulo Faces Extended Power Outage, Over 12 Hours Later

A significant portion of central São Paulo remained without electricity on Wednesday morning, more than 12 hours after a widespread power outage occurred during the early hours. Enel, the energy provider, reported that 628 customers were still affected in various parts of the downtown area. Businesses on Avenida São João, specifically near number 281, reported being without power since Tuesday night at 11 PM. One business owner mentioned receiving an estimated restoration time of 10 AM from Enel, but power had not yet been restored. The lack of electricity also impacted the Central de Habitação building, causing it to close and leading to a queue of people waiting for services to resume. Merchants in the affected areas reported significant losses in sales due to the prolonged outage, with some restaurants having to dismiss staff. While power was restored to areas around Largo do Paissandu, Galeria do Rock, Galeria Olido, and establishments near São Bento station, two traffic lights in the vicinity of Largo do Paissandu remained non-operational, requiring traffic management by CET agents. Enel teams were observed conducting repairs on Avenida São João, with two generators on standby but not yet activated. Enel later updated the estimated restoration time for one affected address to 4:49 PM on Wednesday, citing "Environment" as the preliminary cause without further explanation. The company stated that the outage was caused by a circuit failure and that teams are working on repairs, with generators to be used if necessary. The exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.