João Carlos Starling
The year 1964 had only just begun, but residents of the city of Rio de Janeiro were already tallying up a considerable number of problems. The lack of electricity was among the main ones – and it wasn't the first time. Since the previous year, the energy crisis had been causing
constant interruptions
in the power supply throughout the Rio and Baixada Fluminense region. Rationing became an almost routine practice for the population of Guanabara. The lower-income segments were the most affected, given the priority given to power supply for sectors considered essential – such as industry and hospitals. And supply to homes was the first service to suffer restrictions.
Residents of the capital were informed by the newspapers about the times when they would be without power. The service interruption usually occurred at night, but it could vary depending on the supply conditions in each region. It was not uncommon for there to be as many as 60 shutdowns a day.
Electrical instability was commonly caused by a lack of rainfall, which affected water collection and supply to reservoirs, such as Ribeirão de Lajes, and the operation of hydroelectric plants, such as Fonte Nova, responsible for supplying the entire region. This was exactly the justification used for one of the biggest rationing measures of that year, imposed as of March 30th, which impacted the entire city of Rio de Janeiro.
Image description: The image is an informational document about electricity rationing in Rio de Janeiro, dated March 30, 1964. It is in black and white and presents a detailed table with electricity usage schedules for different customer groups during the day and night. On the left, there is a list of neighborhoods and localities, while on the right are the specific schedules for each group. At the top, "ELECTRICITY RATIONING" is written in a prominent font. Below, there is a section called "STREET CHANGES" listing schedule changes for some neighborhoods. At the bottom, there is a notice indicating that the schedules take effect as of that date.Detalhamento do racionamento de luz inaugurado dia 30 de março. Correio da Manhã, 1964. Hemeroteca da Biblioteca Nacional.