Transmission firm National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has partly completed the restoration of transmission facilities that had been toppled down by tropical storm Agaton recently.
The completion of the initial repair on damaged NGCP facilities had been way ahead of the May 9 elections, a timeframe that is being kept under close watch to ensure there will be no rotational blackouts or service interruptions that may tarnish election results.
In an announcement on Monday, April 18, NGCP noted that “power transmission services in Bohol are now restored,” referring primarily to reenergization of the Ormoc-Maasin 138-kilovolt line 2 and the Maasin-Ubay 138kV line over the past two days.
NGCP emphasized that “emergency restoration systems (ERS) were installed to bypass towers of the Ormoc-Maasin lines 1 and 2, which were affected by a landslide triggered by the passage of tropical storm Agaton.”
The lines affected had been those linking Bohol to Leyte and at least four towers of NGCP that had been crippled because of the blustery weather triggered by tropical storm Agaton more than a week ago.
NGCP previously indicated that it deployed more than 100 linemen and support personnel who “worked through the Holy Week to manually transport the ERS to the restoration area and conduct clearing activities necessary for the installation of the ERS.”
The company stated that the next phase of its repair work will be focused on the “restoration of the Ormoc-Maasin 138kV line 1 to further strengthen the reliability of transmission services in the area, as well as planning the permanent restoration of the affected towers.”
While still working to fully restore electricity services in typhoon-affected areas, NGCP is also giving its assurance to the public that it is “continuously monitoring weather disturbances and is ready to activate its OCMC (Overall Command Center) should there be any threat to its transmission facilities.”
NGCP initially prepared for "tight supply condition" during the summer months and on the election period, but what came as a surprise to it has been the "stormy weather" that had been knocking down some of its transmission facilities.
The election period in the next three weeks will be a "critical service point" for the players and stakeholders in the power industry, hence, NGCP also previously laid down its contingency measures for the upcoming political process and further manifested readiness to respond to any emergency cases.