by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City-The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has assured to the public that all preparations are in place to secure an uninterrupted power transmission operations and facilities during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday (October 30).
NGCP said it carried out vegetation clearing operations along identified critical transmission lines across the country to minimize the occurrence of grid disturbances caused by obstructions along the power lines, especially during election day.
It further said that other non-critical maintenance works and construction activities, inside substations and within 300 meters of energized power lines, have been suspended from October 23 to November 3. Prior to this period, necessary corrective works were completed, said the power supply delivery firm.
The NGCP also announced that, starting October 29, it will be issuing advisories on the power situation every four hours, which “may vary depending on the situation on the ground.”
October 30 has been declared by the government as a special non-working day, but NGCP said that its critical units—particularly System Operations (SOs), and Operations and Maintenance (O&M)—will remain fully staffed and operational.
It said that the company’s line crews, engineers, pilots, maintenance and testing, and other technical personnel are also strategically positioned in substations to be able to respond immediately to any possible line tripping. Its administrative and other support teams will also remain on duty.
Spare parts such as steel poles, emergency restoration systems, and insulators are already prepositioned along with the deployment of heavy equipment, cranes, line trucks, and/or choppers for the immediate restoration of facilities, in case needed, said NGCP.
Personnel of the Overall Command Center, which was already activated, will be on duty from 8am to 5pm, while the center’s 24/7 operations has started today to monitor grid disturbances and overall power situation.
Meanwhile, those personnel of the Regional and Area Control Centers, critical substations, and the quick response team will be on 24-hour shifts, with twice the number of personnel on duty, from October 29 to 31.
“NGCP’s Integrated Disaster Action Plan (IDAP) prescribes these and other measures to ensure the readiness of all power transmission facilities to be affected by emergencies or important national events,” NGCP said.
It further declared: “With its security and contingency preparations set, NGCP can ensure reliable power transmission services before, during, and after the local elections, including during the manual canvassing of votes.” —-Miriam Garcia Desacada