The National Corporation of Consumers and Users (Conadecus), together with the Chilean Association of Municipalities and the governments of the Metropolitan Region and Ñuble, presented a class action lawsuit against the companies Enel and CGE for extensive power outages, which in some cases reached 72 hoursduring the frontal systems that affected much of the country this week.
According to reports from the Superintendence of Electricity and Fuels (SEC), The peak was recorded around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, with 73,348 customers without service nationwide65,047 of them in the RM.
Hernan Calderonpresident of Conadecus, pointed out that «this class action lawsuit that we have presented represents all consumers affected by cuts.»
«However, for us it is essential that the municipalities also make their own demands to protect their neighbors, which will be able to be added to this demand, which is the first to be presented,» he also invited.
In addition, he emphasized that «the legislation also protects neighbors when they have suffered damage to their appliances or home appliances and the obligation of companies to return or repair the device to the full satisfaction of the consumer».
The metropolitan governor, Claudio Orregohe reproached that «Companies are not doing their job.»and, consequently, on this occasion we have joined all the municipalities, through the president of the Chilean Association of Municipalities, the Regional Government and again with Conadecus, so that the companies compensate all the people who have not had supply electricity due to time and also due to the damage that this has generated to their quality of life.
«Companies make money, they are for-profit companies, but the time comes when they have to invest in preventionpruning trees and most importantly, sufficient emergency crews to restore the electricity supply,» he stated.
Enel, which supplies the capital, stated yesterday that its network, being «80% aerial», becomes more «prone to failures» during these weather events, mainly as a result of strong winds and falling trees on power lines. However, Superintendent Marta Cabezas had previously stated that power companies should prepare for these events and that «neither rain nor wind are force majeure.»
At the closing of this note, around 2:00 p.m. this Thursday, there were still 16,923 clients without supply in the country, 5,325 of them in the Metropolitan Region.