Ninety percent of the brownouts in Central Negros are caused by tree branches touching power lines, a Negros Electric and Power Corp. statement issued on Tuesday, August 13, said.
Negros Power is continuously clearing power lines of tree branches that are causing unexpected power interruptions in Central Negros, it said, adding there are about 2,000 areas being cleared by their line teams.
Tree branches touching power lines may result in the disconnection of feeder breakers as protection for the entire distribution system, Negros Power said.
When this happens, line teams manually search for the location where the branch is touching the power line, which can take hours due to the length of the feeder lines, it added.
These branches are immediately trimmed before reconnecting the feeder breaker to ensure that contact with the line does not happen again, but this is only a temporary solution, Negros Power said.
The transition from Central Negros Electric Cooperative to Negros Power began August 1 in preparation for the upcoming takeover next month.
When Negros Power formally takes over, its plans to install automatic circuit reclosers on all 43 feeder lines, replace them with new insulated cables, install load brake switches, and sectionalize cut-outs to provide a permanent solution to vegetation issues and avoid prolonged and frequent brownouts, it said.
Negros Power’s statement said the firm will need sufficient time to accomplish all of these and is asking for the understanding and cooperation of the consumers.*