South American Blackout Speaking of power grids and cyber-stuff, an enormous blackout hit Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay yesterday, and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri said a cyberattack could not be ruled out as the cause. Humidity's another possible culprit. The unprecedented problem originated in Argentina's coastal transmission system—the regional grid got disconnected from all the generators at the Yacyreta hydroelectric dam. Bloomberg
Undoubtedly the power grid is a government owned monopoly or privately owned monopoly but government directed, with inadequate backup
Which describes virtually every power utility in the United States. After all the blackouts from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, my relatives in Europe couldn't believe that we still run power cables above ground in the United States.
It was not always that way in the in the US currently there are There were also 65 power marketers. Of all utilities, 2,020 were publicly owned (including 10 Federalutilities), 932 were rural electric cooperatives, and 243 were investor-owned utilities. " The electricity sector of the United States includes a large array of stakeholders that provide services through electricity generation, transmission, distribution and marketing for industrial, commercial, public and residential customers. It also includes many public institutions that regulate the sector. In 1996, there were 3,195 electric utilities in the United States, of which fewer than 1,000 were engaged in power generation. This leaves a large number of mostly smaller utilities engaged only in power distribution. There were also 65 power marketers. Of all utilities, 2,020 were publicly owned (including 10 Federal utilities), 932 were rural electric cooperatives, and 243 were investor-owned utilities.[2] The electricity transmission network is controlled by Independent System Operators or Regional Transmission Organizations, which are not-for-profit organizations that are obliged to provide indiscriminate access to various suppliers in order to promote competition." The four above-mentioned market segments of the U.S. electricity sector are regulated by different public institutions with some functional overlaps: The federal government sets general policies through the Department of Energy, environmental policy through the Environmental Protection Agency and consumer protection policy through the Federal Trade Commission. The safety of nuclear power plants is overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Economic regulation of the distribution segment is a state responsibility, usually carried out through Public Utilities Commissions; the inter-state transmission segment is regulated by the federal government through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
%% Well its more ugly[above ground ]but cheaper + faster. Better ice/storm resistant underground. NOT counting earthquakes which happen sometimes. FOX news reported 2 million/50% back on power in Argentina; 75% in Uruguay. Argentina has concrete power poles; not much suitable wood for power poles like in USa,
You can find plenty of above-ground power lines in parts of Europe but yes, they are definitely only in areas that haven't been upgraded. All newly built areas have underground cables.