The National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) announced Tuesday a statement of charges against the Company of Electric Transmission S.A. (ETESA) for the two blackouts registered last March, which affected the cities of Panama and Colon.

This fine could reach up to US $ 10 million.

At a press conference, ASEP administrator Roberto Meana reported that, after having recorded both incidents, the ASEP technical team, together with an independent expert, initiated an ex officio investigation to delimit the relevant responsibilities and order the respective Corrections against ETESA.

Meana Meléndez announced that the causes of the blackouts of March 17 and 21 were originated inside the current transformer inside the metal cover that houses the four secondary coils. In addition, that the degradation of the insulation, inside the transformer, could have caused the electric arc and its consequent explosion.

Another element found, during the inspections carried out, was the disposal of these equipments from mid-2015, having an impact on the explosion of the current transformer associated to the switch 11M62.

Source: ANPanama