NEA: About 3M consumer connections affected by power outage due to Uwan

Approximately three million consumer connections were affected by the loss of electricity supply across several regions following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Uwan, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said on Tuesday.

NEA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer-in-charge Eric Campoto said they are monitoring 60 electric cooperatives. Of this figure, eight are under total power interruptions and 43 are experiencing partial power interruptions.

“Sa kabuuan mayroon tayong humigit kumulang na 3 milyon consumer connections na apektado po ng pagkawala ng supply sa kuryente. Kabilang dito ay nasa rehiyon ng Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera, at Region 5 sa Bicol, at Mimaropa Region po. Meron din mangilan-ngilan na electric cooperatives po sa Eastern Visayas po,” he said in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

(In total, we have approximately 3 million consumer connections that are affected by the loss of electricity supply. These include the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera, and Region 5 in Bicol, and the Mimaropa Region. There are also a few electric cooperatives in Eastern Visayas.)

According to a report by the state weather bureau, PAGASA, Uwan has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) early Tuesday, but may re-enter on Wednesday evening as it makes landfall over the southwestern coast of Taiwan.

Batanes and the western portion of Ilocos Norte are currently under Signal No. 2. Meanwhile, other provinces in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and in CAR are Signal No. 1.

Meanwhile, the NEA said that while power restoration is ongoing, some areas remain impassable due to floods and landslides.

“Ang kinahaharap ng mga electric cooperatives at lineman na nagbabalik ng supply ng kuryente ay yung mga lugar na may pagbaha pa po, kasi may mga naulat na pagbaha sa Naga, Albay, at mayroon ding mga landslide na naulat po doon sa Cordillera at Benguet,” said Campoto.

(The challenges faced by the electric cooperatives and linemen restoring the power supply are the areas that are still flooded, because there are reported floods in Naga, Albay, and there are also reported landslides in Cordillera and Benguet.)

“Kapag may mga ganung insidente, nahihirapan pasukin ng ating mga lineman ang lugar kung saan dapat  nilang i-repair. Ito ay amin ng kino-coordinate sa mga lokal na pamahalaan po para matulungan kami sa pag-clear ng mga debris at mapasok ito ng mga kooperatiba.”

(When there are such incidents, our linemen have difficulty accessing the areas where they need to make repairs. We are already coordinating this with the local governments to help us clear the debris so the cooperatives can enter [the area].) — BAP, GMA Integrated News