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Power cut off in Manila as Glenda zaps 90% of Meralco franchise area


(Updated 11:53 a.m.) Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) zapped up to 90 percent of Manila Electric Co.'s (Meralco) franchise area, the power utility said Wednesday, after the powerful storm toppled electric poles and downed transmission lines of the Luzon grid.
 
This means that only one out of 10 customers supplied by the power distributor has electricity after Glenda barreled through Southern Luzon and affected the National Capital Region, which includes Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
 


In a statement on its Twitter account, the company said: "Around 90% of Meralco’s franchise area is experiencing power outage brought about by downed poles, lines and outages of NGCP’s (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) transmission lines due to Typhoon Glenda."
 
The Meralco franchise area covers 5.189 million commercial and residential customers in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and some parts of Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon.
 
"Meralco crews are working round the clock to conduct damage assessment and clearing operations to ensure safety during actual restoration," the company added. 

150 kph winds
 
Glenda left a huge swathe of Metro Manila without power as maximum sustained winds of up to 150 kph damaged transmission facilities.

Traffic lights were not functioning even in major intersections along the main thoroughfare of EDSA, prompting drivers to negotiate the roads slowly. With schools and most offices and shops closed, however, many streets were nearly empty as the stormy weather kept residents indoors. 
 
Restoring power in the franchise area will take some time once Glenda subsides as transmission lines would have to be checked first, a Meralco official said.
 
In a phone interview, head of utility economics Larry Fernandez said power cannot be restored immediately once the storm has passed.

"It depends on the condition of the lines. Ite-test muna ang lines via visual inspection before restoration of power," he said. 
 
He added that Meralco crew would have to clear the debris that tripped power lines or see if there is a need to repair the facilities. "Major lines will be inspected before going into small lines going to houses," he said.

Massive damage
 
"Ninety per cent ng demand natin nabawas," Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga also said in a television interview, adding that only some sections in northern Metro Manila had electricity.
 
Zaldarriaga appealed to the public for patience, saying repairs would start once the winds subside. "Napakatindi talaga ng tumama sa amin," he said.
 
In its official Twitter account, Meralco said eastern and southern parts of its franchise area have no power due to the typhoon.
 
"Affected are major areas of Laguna, Cavite and Quezon provinces in the south as well as major portion of Rizal province including Binangonan, Morong, Tanay, Pillila and Jala-jala," the company said.
 
In an e-mailed statement, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it continues to monitor and inspect transmission lines and other facilities that may have been impacted by Glenda.
 
"Please note that loss of power may be caused by affected transmission facilities of NGCP or distribution facilities of local distribution utilities or electric cooperatives," NGCP said.
 
Power interruptions in specific cities and municipalities are determined by concerned distribution utilities, it added.

Affected transmission lines
 
So far, affected transmission lines are the following:
 
  • Bay-Calamba 69-kV Line with franchise area of Calamba, Laguna and Part of Batangas

  • Gumaca-Hondagua-Tagkawayan 69-kV Line Customer with franchise area of Lopez, Tagkawayan, and Maguilayan, Quezon

  • Gumaca-Pitogo-Mulanay 69-kV Line with franchise area of Pitogo, Mulanay, and Catanuan, Quezon

  • Gumaca-Gumaca 69-kV Line with franchise area of Gumaca, Quezon

  • Daraga – Legaspi 69-kV line  Areas serves by APEC

  • Daraga – Sorsogon 69-kV line affecting the entire Sorsogon province

  • Naga-Libmanan 69-kV line with franchise area of Pamplona, Sipocot, and Libmanan, Camarines Sur

  • Naga-Lagonoy 69-kV line with franchise area of Pili, Tigaon, and Lagonoy, Camarines Sur

  • Naga-Iriga 69-kV line with franchise area of Bula and Iriga, Camarines Sur

  • Paranas – Taft – Quinapondan 69-kV line with franchise area of Whole Eastern Samar

  • Calbayog – Catbalogan 69-kV line with franchise area of Gandara, San Jorge, and Tarangnan, Samar

  • Calbayog – Catarman – Allen 69-kV line with franchise area of Allen and Rosario, Northern Samar

  • Calbayog – Palanas – Cara 69-kV line with franchise area of Calbayog City and Sta. Margarita, Samar

  • Catarman – Bobolosan 69-kV lline with franchise area of  Lao-ang, Northern Samar
 
With the Leyte-Luzon 350-kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) down, NGCP noted there is no power flowing from the Luzon to the Visayas grid.
 
The Tayabas-Naga 230-kV Line and Gumaca-Labo 230-kV Line are also out, isolating the Bicol region, it added.
 
NGCP line crews and are now doing ground patrols to inspect and assess the impact of Glenda on its operations and facilities, particularly in Samar and Albay, NGCP said. — RSJ/VS, GMA News

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