Mayor: Maintenance works beneficial in the long run

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said he understands the situation of MORE Electric and Power Corp. in undertaking preventive maintenance works on its vital facilities which resulted in brownouts.

In a radio interview, Treñas said the previous distribution utility (DU) did not undertake the needed preventive maintenance works on substations and distribution transformers and lines.

MORE Power said the repairs are needed as toxic gases have accumulated in the substations and transformers are almost about to explode due to overloading, mostly from jumpers or illegal connections which the previous DU failed to address.

“They have to do those maintenance works or else we are in for longer and more massive unscheduled brownouts. Kung indi ta ini pag-ubrahon, mas malala ang problema naton,” he added.

The mayor cited the case of the City Hall which also needs preventive maintenance works on its elevators and air conditioning units.

“Even until now, we continue to suffer from breakdowns of equipment due to lack of maintenance. Preventive maintenance is very important, especially in the power industry. Eventually, we will enjoy better services if these works are completed,” he added.

Treñas said DUs like MORE Power also tries to avert brownouts as this means zero revenues on their part.

“But we have to understand that MORE Power and especially the consumers will lose more if the substations break down and cause longer and more widespread brownouts. Distribution utilities don’t like brownouts because they don’t earn from that. But some sacrifice is needed for long-term benefits to our city,” he added.

Treñas also slammed reports that Iloilo City has become a land of brownouts saying most unscheduled brownouts are due to illegal connections which became rampant under the management of the previous DU.

“I do not agree with that impression. Most brownouts are due to illegal connections which the MORE Power is trying to resolve now,” he added.

On Sunday, MORE Power completed the preventive maintenance works on the LaPaz substation in Iloilo City on Sunday.

In a statement, MORE Power said it started the maintenance works at 4:05 am and finished by around 4:37 pm.

The works included corrective and preventive maintenance on the 50 megavolt-ampere (MVA) power transformer and the On Load Top Changer Tank after Dissolve Gas Analysis on the facility indicated high levels of gases, which is a sign of corrosion and deterioration due to lack of maintenance works.

The maintenance works also included:

-degassing and filtering of oil in the main tank of the power transformer;

-assessment of the power transformer winding;

-testing of the 69-kilovolt (kV) and 13.8 kV transformers (current and potential);

-testing of the functionality of seven overcurrent protection relays and circuit breakers;

-installation of check meters in six feeders; and

– testing of Direct Current (DC) station batteries.

The distribution utility also replaced rotting electric poles and cross-arms in distribution and feeder lines in LaPaz.

MORE Power said the repair and maintenance are necessary to extend the life of the substation and prevent breakdowns which could lead to massive and prolonged brownouts.

“We now have a benchmark on the conditions of these facilities which will become the basis for future Preventive Maintenance Services and prevent bigger problems and long power outages. We thank our consumers for their understanding and sacrifices for the inconvenience this has caused them,” it added.