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Thousands of power consumers in Bacolod City were plunged into darkness when a 37 MegaVolt Amperes (MVA) power transformer at the Alijis Substation busted at 8:53 p.m. Wednesday, August 21.
This triggered widespread power outages across seven feeders affecting about 42,000 registered consumers, a Negros Electric and Power Corp. statement on Thursday said.
Power in some areas was restored Thursday morning while in other areas in the afternoon.
In other areas irate residents also suffered from intermittent power outages on Thursday.
Power supply is not expected to normalize for two weeks, rotational load dropping will occur, Engr. Bailey Del Castillo, Negros Power’s Chief Operations Officer, said.
“We are trying to balance the capacity and demand right now,” he said.
The 13-year-old Alijis Substation transformer experienced a significant oil leak, rendering it irreparable in its current state, del Castillo said.
Negros Power said the damaged transformer will have to be replaced with a new unit. However, because of the installation processes, it is estimated to take approximately two weeks before the new transformer can be fully integrated into the system, del Castillo said.
As an interim solution, Negros Power engineers have rerouted and connected the feeder lines from Alijis Substation to nearby substations and feeders, providing a temporary power supply of around 32 Megawatts to the affected areas, a Negros Power statement said.
To prevent overloading, Negros Power will closely monitor the feeders and may implement Manual Load Dropping as a precautionary measure to abort possible unscheduled power interruptions, it said.
Del Castillo said they have asked for help from their sister company, More Power in Iloilo, to bring in a mobile substation to provide additional load capacity to minimize the rotational load dropping.
Hopefully the 10 MVA mobile substation will arrive in four days, he said.
They will still be short by 27 MVA but the additional 10 MVA can help, Del Castillo said.
They are working 24/7 to restore power, he assured.
“Negros Power appeals for understanding from all affected consumers during this period of reconfigurations, assuring them of ongoing efforts to restore normal operations and ensure a consistent power supply while addressing the challenges at the Alijis Substation”, its statement said.
Del Castillo also outlined plans for the comprehensive rehabilitation and modernization of Alijis Substation and other inherited facilities from Central Negros Electric Cooperative as part of a 5-year program set to commence next month.
This initiative will be initiated following the granting of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Energy Regulatory Commission, marking a significant step in Negros Power’s evolution as the new distribution utility in Central Negros, he said.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he has asked Negros Power to present their modernization program and to provide a timeline.*