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Friday, March 29, 2024

Bill bucks power line obstruction

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Saying  that the country has already experienced 168 instances or a total of 1,426.11 hours of power outages this year based on the data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Senator Win Gatchalian said the government must now  ensure the uninterrupted conveyance of electricity from power plants to consumers. 

The  outage hours experienced in 2018, Gatchalian said, was  already thrice the duration of brownouts seen in 2017, when the country only registered 236 instances or 565.71 hours of  outages nationwide. 

In 2016, he said,  the NGCP chalked up a total of 205 brownouts or   just 396.11 hours.

Because of this, Gatchalian pushed  for a mechanism that will allow for the  maintenance and rehabilitation of transmission, sub-transmission, and distribution lines.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, sponsored Senate Bill No. 2098 (SBN 2098), otherwise known as the “Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act of 2018.”

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The bill  sought to ensure that the power line corridor – including the land beneath, the air spaces surrounding, and the area traversed by power lines, including its horizontal, vertical, and similar clearance requirements – shall, at all times, be kept clear and free from any obstructions, dangerous structures, hazardous activities, or any similar circumstances that impede the continuous flow of electricity, according to the lawmaker.

Recognizing “the continuous conveyance of electricity as a matter of national security and as central to economic development, Gatchalian said the measure “will ensure that the conveyance of electricity from the power generating plants all the way to the end users – the consumers, business, and the aforementioned vital installations in the country – will be uninterrupted.”

There  were also many instances that obstructions are the primary culprit behind the power outages in the country, according to Gatchalian, who cited the power outage that crippled the Zamboanga peninsula in September 2016.

He recalled that intentionally and maliciously planted banana trees within the power line corridor caused a line-to-ground fault that tripped high voltage lines and led to a blackout across the entire Zamboanga peninsula, including areas served by distribution utilities Zamsureco I, Zamsureco II, Zaneco, Zamcelco, Moelci I, Moelci II, and parts of Laneco.

If passed, Gatchalian said the measure will prohibit the planting of tall growing plants, the construction of hazardous improvements, and the conduct of any hazardous activities within the power line corridor.

SBN 2098 also outlines the duties and responsibilities of power line owners and operators in the prevention and removal of any disturbances or obstructions to the power lines, whether these be located on public or private property.

The bill also authorizes power line owners and operators to seek the assistance of local government officials, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the discharge of their duties. It seeks as well to penalize any person found guilty of committing any of the prohibited acts specified under SBN 2098.

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