NEPC Conducts Maintenance to Address Power Outages

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) initiated a major maintenance project over the weekend to address widespread power outages caused by aging infrastructure.

In a statement, NEPC said it replaced 132 sets of suspension insulators on 48 structures along a critical three-kilometer section of the 30-kilometer Bacolod-Silay 69-kilovolt sub-transmission line.

The maintenance involved replacing corroded, damaged, and aging porcelain insulators with new polymer insulators designed to withstand high voltages and harsh weather conditions.

Line crews faced challenges during the work, as the sub-transmission line traverses sugarcane plantations in the haciendas of Talisay and Silay cities.

This sub-transmission line, which dates back to 1979, connects to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) substation in Bacolod City. It supplies power to the Lopez, Panaogao, and Silay substations under NEPC’s operation.

NEPC President and CEO Roel Castro emphasized the importance of the maintenance initiative in resolving frequent outages.

“While this preventive maintenance is a necessary immediate solution, our long-term plan is to upgrade all the insulators along the 30-kilometer sub-transmission line and relocate these lines along main roads for easier maintenance and repairs during future outages,” Castro said.

Over the past four months of operations, NEPC recorded nearly 10 incidents of line faults and wire downs involving this high-voltage line, mostly due to faulty and deteriorated insulators.

The maintenance project is expected to significantly reduce these incidents and improve power distribution reliability for consumers.