Two blackouts in one day: power cut and Chilibre water disruption

On 25 May 2026, Panama had two separate electricity events. Midday, a trip at Cobre Panamá’s thermoelectric plant lasted about 7 minutes and hit roughly 29,000 ENSA clients. That afternoon, an ETESA transmission fault left parts of the capital without power for more than 3 hours and disrupted Chilibre water production for up to about 7 hours in some areas.

The morning event was linked to Cobre Panamá unit G2 disconnecting; the company said the afternoon outage was unrelated. The afternoon fault involved a conductor on a transmission line; ASEP and ETESA investigated. Metro Lines 1–2 and the Chilibre plant were affected. The twin events rekindled debate on transmission redundancy and delays to a fourth transmission line.

For city living, this is a clear reminder that power and water are linked—and that backup lights, charged devices, and a bit of stored water still matter in Panama City. These were two distinct events on the same day; always check local utility notices for any current outage.

Sources

• La Prensa — twin blackouts and energy debate
• Telemetro — Metro Lines 1–2 affected

Disclaimer: Two distinct events on the same day; confirm local utility notices for any current outages.