Grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Monday it successfully completed the restoration of lines affected by tropical depression Usman in the Visayas.
“Normalization of the Visayas grid came after the last affected line, the Palanas Cara-Catarman-Lao-ang 69 kilovolt line, was restored at 5:29 p.m. of Dec. 30. Transmission services in other affected areas are now under normal operations,” NGCP said.
The operations of Northern Samar Electric Cooperative was affected by the 69 kV line on Dec. 28. NGCP said it immediately mobilized line crew and conducted aerial and ground patrols to assess the impact of the storm and expedite restoration of the affected line.
Other affected lines that were immediately restored were the Gumaca-Pitogo-Mulanay 69kV Line which affected Quezon Electric Cooperative 1 and the Bay – Calamba 69kV Line which affected some customers of Manila Electric Co. and Batangas Electric Cooperative.
“NGCP assures the public that it is continuously monitoring weather disturbances and is ready to activate its Overall Command Center should there be any threat to its transmission facilities,” the company said.
NGCP said it immediately implemented necessary preparations and precautions to minimize the impact of tropical depression and other weather disturbances on transmission operations and facilities.
Preparations included ensuring the reliability of communications equipment, availability of hardware materials and supplies necessary for the repair of damages to facilities, as well as the positioning of line crews in strategic areas, to facilitate immediate restoration work.
NGCP’s Integrated Disaster Action Plan prescribes these measures to ensure the readiness of all power transmission facilities that are expected to be affected by the passage of the weather disturbance.
NGCP operates and maintains the country’s transmission network through its concession agreement with the government.