Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) undertook a major proactive maintenance initiative during the weekend to mitigate widespread power outages caused by aging infrastructure.
The company replaced 132 sets of suspension insulators on 48 structures along a critical 3-kilometer stretch of the 30-kilometer Bacolod-Silay 69KV sub-transmission line, a Negros Power press release said Tuesday, Dec. 10.
The maintenance involved replacing corroded, damaged, and aging porcelain insulators with brand-new polymer insulators capable of withstanding high voltages and stormy weather.
The work proved challenging for the line crews due to the sub-transmission line’s location traversing sugarcane plantations in the haciendas of Talisay and Silay cities, the press release said.
This particular sub-transmission line, dating back to 1979, is connected to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) substation in Bacolod City, serving the Lopez, Panaogao, and Silay substations under Negros Power’s operation, it said.
Negros Power President and CEO Roel Castro said the maintenance is a crucial step in addressing the ongoing issue of frequent outages.
“While this preventive maintenance is a necessary immediate solution, our long-term plan is to upgrade all the insulators of the 30 kilometers sub-transmission line and to relocate these lines along main roads, making maintenance and repairs more accessible and efficient in case of future outages,” Castro stated.
In the past four months of Negros Power’s operations, the company has recorded nearly ten incidents of line faults and wire downs involving this high-voltage line, primarily attributed to faulty and deteriorated insulators, he said.
This proactive maintenance initiative is aimed at significantly reducing these occurrences and improving the reliability of power distribution to consumers, he added.*