Flying kites, squatting among problems hampering maintenance of transmission facilities — NGCP

Right-of-way (ROW) violations nationwide — from flying kites to the planting of trees within the ROW corridor — are hampering the field operations of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s transmission service provider.   NGCP spokesperson lawyer Cynthia Alabanza bared this Tuesday as she said they are working with local government units to help address these violations.   “Common ROW violations we encounter are planting of trees within the ROW corridor, grass fires at or around our facilities, squatting and putting up of structures under our transmission lines, and kite flying. All of these activities can disrupt the transmission of power and cause power outages. More importantly, these activities damage our lines and compromise the safety of the public,” Alabanza said. She said these violations had caused 44 outages or line trippings in 2012 alone. Of these, 25 or more than half of the total occurred in Mindanao.   She said ROW issues have been a concern of the transmission business even before NGCP took over the operations and maintenance of the country’s transmission facilities in 2009.   Alabanza said ROW violations also prevent NGCP workers from entering the area to fix damaged lines.   “ROW violations imply additional cost to the company because we have to clear the land of vegetation and structures before we can perform maintenance work, she said. “In cases where the ROW violations cause damage to facilities, the cost implication multiplies. There is the cost of repairs and restoration, in addition to the cost of additional manpower and manhours which could have been utilized for more inspection and maintenance activities,” Alabanza added. Safety hazards   In addition to operational problems, the NGCP official also warned the public of the safety hazards for ROW violators.   Transmission lines are open lines that carry a minimum of 69,000 volts and a maximum of 500,000 volts.   “You don’t even have to touch the lines to be electrocuted. Electricity induction may occur once the safe clearance is breached. In other words, if you get near enough, even without touching the lines, you are in danger of being electrocuted,” Alabanza said.    “At the end of the day, ROW violations affect our power delivery service. In turn, the distribution utilities and the public at large suffer and are most affected,” she added.   NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. NGCP transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines and towers, substations and related assets. NGCP’s regular maintenance activities and expansion projects aim to enhance the reliability and quality of electricity delivered to customers.  — KBK, GMA News