Outage linked to outdated transformer, cross arms

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

Old and dilapidated transformer and electrical post’s cross arm triggered another power interruption affecting the entire Feeder 5 of Molo substation which resulted in a 4-hour brownout in various parts of Molo and Arevalo districts in Iloilo City.

The outage struck 10 pm Thursday when the aged distribution transformer of a private establishment along Avanceña Street, Molo, suddenly exploded, reports indicated.

Engr. Leomel Tambanillo, MORE Power deputy head of network operations department, said the explosion was caused by “arcing” or “flash over” which impacted on the equally outdated and dilapidated post cross arm that collapsed in the process, triggering the trip offs in Feeders 2, 3, and 4 of the Molo substation.

Tambanillo said that although the Technical Team arrived immediately after the explosion, massive repair works and replacement of the primary wire, collapsed cross arm, and exploded transformers took much time to fix.

The busted 25 kVA transformer connected to a three-phase bank was replaced by two new transformers at 25 kVA each, MORE Power announced.

MORE Power spokesperson Jonathan Cabrera said that the explosion caused a domino effect on the adjoining feeders.

“Initially the power hitch affected 4 feeders but after the tracing, 3 feeders were immediately restored by the technical team leaving only one feeder under repair. The said feeder directly connects to the busted transformer and collapsed cross arm,” Cabrera explained.

Cabrera said that after taking over the distribution facility previously operated by PECO, MORE Power has lined up a massive pole and line maintenance to arrest the nagging problem of power interruptions and trip offs in the city.

“In fact, that area in Feeder 5 are among those lined up to be fixed by our Technical Team tasked to implement corrective measures such as replacement of dilapidated poles and cross arms, low sagging and long spanning power lines, as well as aging and overloaded transformers,” he explained.

Cabrera assured the public that with the continued replacements and upgrading being implemented by MORE Power, it will soon arrest the power interruptions in the city of Iloilo.

“Rest assured that MORE Power is doing its best to provide everyone the quality of service we have vowed to bring to Iloilo City and we are on our toes 24/7 to fulfill that promise but please understand that we are on operation for barely four months and we can only do so much within this period. MORE Power inherited so much outdated equipment from PECO and we are actually replacing them round the clock to make things better for everyone,” he noted.

Meanwhile, despite the recent power interruptions MORE Power continues to get support from the Ilonggo consumers who are taking their sentiments online.

Facebook user Abet Dasmarinas posted his take on the issue saying, “Good job…sige lang amo gid na kay bag-o pa lang ang MORE…sinalo gid abi nila ang tanan nga garok sang PECO. Pero kita ta man na gina-trabaho gid nila kag gina-troubleshoot kung mag-black out. Amo gid na maayo naman kung maplastar na nila tanan ah… (It’s just but natural considering that MORE Power is still new. We know for a fact that they just inherited all these problems from PECO and we can see it very clearly that MORE is working and that its people are there right away to troubleshoot in times of blackouts. Good if they can make things right)”

Another Facebook user under the account name Wyn J. Omapas, meanwhile, intimated that, “Honestly, mas maayo ang MORE compared sa PECO. Kami sa Calumpang everyday kami ga-brownout tungod sa mga jumpers. Then 2 days pa na before mabalik amon kuryente. After pila ka adlaw back to normal naman nga kada gab-i nga brownout. Subong nga nagtake over ang MORE, ma-enjoy na namon ang kagab-ihon nga wala brownout….Good job MORE and God bless (Honestly, MORE Power is far better than PECO. Here in Calumpang, we used to have brownouts everyday due to the presence of so many jumpers. Then usually power is restored in 2 days time. But after that it is a normal occurrence for us to experience a nightly power interruption during the time of PECO. We believe that with this takeover of MORE from PECO we are going to enjoy our evenings with no brownouts soon…Good job MORE Power and God bless.”

Consumer Aiwa Miamia Onacin Dilapuz Jr., for his part, had appealed to fellow power consumers saying, “Intindiha n’yo na lang ang kapalpakan ni PECO nga sila (MORE) ang galukdo subong. I mean ginakorek nila ang tiko nga istilo sang ligad pa nga management (Let’s just understand the negligence and lapses of PECO that MORE is trying to bear now. MORE Power is just trying to right the wrongs of the past management.”