SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/2 April) – A damaged 69-kilovolt (kV) steel tower of the National Grid Corp.
of the Philippines (NGCP) triggered a 16-hour power interruption in this city and several areas in Surigao del Norte since 8:15 p.m. Monday.
Power supply was restored at around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in the coverage area of the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Surneco).
In an advisory this morning, Surneco said a destroyed 69-kV steel tower of NGCP located in Barangay Mabini here caused the power blackout.
Engr. Alex Diaz, Surneco maintenance engineer, said that NGCP crewmen have been deployed to repair the transmission tower that was discovered destroyed at around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
“This tower is the main source [of power] so it will really affect all our lines in the city and yes, the province,” Diaz said.
Quoting a text message from the NGCP crewmen, he said one of the posts of the tower was destroyed when a “length of rope tied to it, probably that of a carabao, pulled off the anchor guy.”
The “anchor guy” is the bunting or rope that is tied to a tower to ensure that it can withstand a fall, Diaz explained.
According to Surneco, the areas affected by the power outage include Anislagan in Placer, the whole Surigao City comprising 54 barangays, Masapilid and Bayagnan Islands, and the entire barangays in the towns of Sison, Taganaan, San Francisco and Malimono.
Diaz, who spoke with MindaNews this morning in the absence of its general manager Engr. Danny Z. Escalante, who is reportedly in Manila, said that once power supply is restored, they will request the NGCP to exempt tonight’s daily two-hour (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) scheduled load curtailment.
Meanwhile, the city did not experience brownouts during the length of the Holy Week starting Holy Wednesday.
Diaz attributed this to the industries that went on a holiday, allowing enough supply for residential users. (Vanessa Almeda/MindaNews)