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Power Returns To Parts Brazil After Huge Blackout

RIO DE JANEIRO -(Dow Jones)- Power has returned to the city of Rio de Janeiro following a massive blackout that affected it, Sao Paulo and other parts of Brazil, including the federal district of Brasilia.

Brazil's electric power agency Aneel said in a statement early Wednesday morning that power should be restored throughout the affected regions within an hour or two. Power returned briefly to Sao Paulo before going out again.

Energy Minister Edison Loboa confirmed to reporters in Brasilia the problem originated with the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, whose output is shared with Paraguay. He blamed "atmospheric problems," perhaps a severe thunderstorm, for the blackout.

Itaipu is operated by Brazilian utility Eletrobras (EBR).

-By Jeff Fick, Dow Jones Newswires; 5521 7564 4503; jeff.fick@dowjones.com

(Charles Roth contributed to this article)

  (END) Dow Jones Newswires
  11-10-092234ET
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