By Francis Allan L. Angelo
Distribution utility MORE Power said it has reached the penultimate part of rehabilitation efforts on major facilities after completing the 13-hour maintenance works of its Molo substation.
While it caused more than half a day of brownout in parts of the city, MORE Power said the rehabilitation was “necessary to extend the life of the substation and prevent breakdowns which could lead to massive and prolonged brownouts.”
In a statement, MORE Power said the rehabilitation is “something that cannot be done for few hours as it needs at least 13 hours to ensure the functionality of the facilities which have been operating beyond its safe level and therefore violates the provision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).”
The rehabilitation works started with the shutdown of five feeders at 4:05 am Sunday wherein the technical team from MORE Power conducted three cycles of filtration of the 12,000 liters of oil on the 25 to 30 megavolt-ampere (MVA) power transformers.
Power supply was restored at 5:01pm.
The process, MORE Power said, will ensure the “stability of dielectric strength as well as improve the insulation level of oil on transformers.”
The dielectric strength of a transformer’s oil is defined as the maximum voltage that can be applied across the fluid without electrical breakdown. It is very often equated with breakdown voltage.
Relatedly, the Molo substation has been beefed up with additional feeder meters and load monitors which principally maintains the system reliability and overall efficiency of the power distribution system.
MORE Power also reported that it installed reclosers at Feeder 3 (East Baluarte, Molo) and at Feeder 5 (Dulonan, Arevalo).
Reclosers are automatic, high-voltage electric switch. Just like a circuit breaker in household electric lines, it shuts off electric power when trouble occurs, such as a short circuit. If the problem is only temporary, the recloser automatically resets itself and restores the electric power.
During the maintenance works, MORE Power also took the opportunity to continue with emergency line upgrades by replacing 10 dilapidated and rotten poles with concrete ones, replaced 40 cross arms, and corrected low sagging and long spanning primary lines in the area.
MORE Power said that regular preventive maintenance like the 13-hour maintenance is a must as provided for by the Philippine Distribution Code to reverse the impacts of unmaintained facilities such as fast deterioration of transformers and all other operating equipment, the high risk of equipment breaking down, overloading and explosions leading to interruptions.
Around 17,000 consumers were affected by the maintenance works.
Although it caused a 13-hour brownout in the area, consumers connected to the Molo substation said they were thankful to MORE Power for the massive development in the area only months after taking over power distribution in Iloilo City.
“Okay lang naman ang brownout. Okay lang man sakon’ ya. At least nakapreparar ang mga tao kay temprano pa nahambalan na kami,” commented meat dealer Rene Solibio.
“Maayo kay naghatag man sila notice nga mabrown-out kag makita man nga gaobra sila diri,” said Vicente Mediodreja of Avaceña, Molo.
For her part, a certain Nanay Leleng, shared that “Kadamo kuno kaalayuhon ti ok lang man kay subong gapabalo sila temprano pa nga ma-brownout.”
In a statement, MORE Power president and CEO Roel Castro, said he was grateful for the public’s cooperation with the recent rehabilitation efforts.
“My gratitude goes to the affected residents of Molo for their cooperation and understanding today. Now, with the repairs, we are pretty much confident of the stable condition of our transformers. With this, power outages will surely be minimized and we can now also be able to monitor the respective loads of the feeders and transformers here,” he noted.
Castro said that the ongoing maintenance and upgrade being implemented by MORE Power are part of the distribution utility’s 3-year development plan to dramatically improve and modernize its distribution facilities in the city.
Last May to June, this year, MORE Power conducted the same activity at the substations in Jaro, City Proper and Lapaz.
Mandurriao substation has yet to undergo preventive maintenance
