Kristine hits almost 1M power lines

MORE than 970,000 power connections have been affected by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (International Name: Trami), according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA).

At a press briefing on Wednesday, NEA director Eric B. Campoto said that 86 electric cooperatives affected that are from 52 provinces and 12 regions are “under monitoring.”

“Out of the 86 electric cooperatives, 50 are in normal operations, 29 are in partial power interruptions, six are in total power interruptions, and one is still without an updated report,” Mr. Campoto said.

Initial damage cost due to Tropical Cyclone Kristine amounted to nearly P1 million. This may still increase as the electric cooperatives are still assessing the data and the tropical cyclone has yet to make its landfall, he said.

Meanwhile, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said that several transmission lines in Luzon and Visayas have been unavailable.

Paul Michael R. Azur, NGCP’s geomatics and command center manager, said that a total of 23 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines has been affected, of which 16 lines were already energized while one of the two 230-kV lines that were unavailable was already online.

“The remaining 230-kV (line) has no effect on the grid, although, we are still going to assess what has happened to these transmission lines if weather permits,” he said.

The grid operator said it has mobilized its line crews and is conducting patrols. Simultaneous restoration activities were also conducted in areas already accessible.

Power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), which provides electric service in Metro Manila and nearby areas, earlier assured its customers that its personnel are ready to respond to electricity service concerns that may arise. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera