The number and duration of breaks from Edesur were longer than those of Edenor by decades. Since the end of 2001, both concessions have had violations in their regulatory frameworks – except for two years, they stressed – but the operational disparities remained.
The network provided by Segba it was not in good condition. The two consortia that won the concessions set about improving them in the 1990s. They had inflation-adjusted rates in US dollars, and investors wanted to participate in that lucrative business.
The first warning sign of the existence of problems came in the summer of 1999. Edesur experienced unprecedented cuts, resulting in dozens of corks clarion for the damage caused to household appliances and commercial activities which were unable to function for weeks. The Spanish Endesa, which managed the company, ceded control of the stake to the Chilean Enersis.
Subsequently, it passed into the hands of the Italian Enel. “They have to modernize the lines. They always have problems in the Boedo-Almagro-Villa Crespo-Caballito area. They have one node whose repair is very expensive, they will probably only do it if they have a rate that justifies it,” explains a technician who works there. “Yes, they are complicated in that area. Also in the southern suburbs. But the mayors of the suburbs are not helping. Many families join the Edesur network, which damages them, and the mayors do nothing,” says a former Enre official.
Source: Clarin
