Blackout amid heat wave leaves large part of Paraguay without power

A man wipes sweat from his face during a heat wave in Asunción, on February 18, 2026 Daniel Duarte/AFP Paraguay’s state-owned energy company, Ande, announced this Wednesday (18) a major blackout that affected large areas of the country, including the capital Asunción. According to the company, some important transmission lines were out of service. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp In a statement, Ande reported that the blackout occurred after two lines leaving Itaipu Binacional — a hydroelectric plant shared with Brazil on the Paraná River and responsible for feeding the national interconnected system — went out of operation. Later, the company said that one of the lines was energized, starting the normalization of energy distribution in Asunción and the metropolitan region. Technicians investigated possible causes and worked to restore service across the country. The interruption occurred during a heat wave, with temperatures above 40°C and a wind chill of 43°C, according to the Meteorology Directorate. The blackout also affected traffic in the capital, after traffic lights stopped working. The state-owned drinking water company Essap reported that the service could be impacted by the lack of energy. READ ALSO VIDEO: avalanche in Italy leaves 3 skiers dead in the Alps Peru’s Congress chooses new president of the country after José Jerí’s dismissal USA says it has several arguments to attack Iran, and Trump makes new threat See the videos that are trending on g1 VIDEOS: most watched on g1

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