Quake triggers major power outage in Visayas

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake knocked out power in major sections of Visayas including Leyte and Panay Island as authorities scramble to determine the extent of its damage. Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), told GMA7's DZBB that the quake was tectonic in origin and was felt at about 10:02 a.m. in Leyte. The earthquake's epicenter was located 14 kms northeast of Ormoc City. The power supply at the whole of Panay Island, which covers the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Iloilo and Capiz, was cut off at around 10:05 a.m. Tacloban City and Cebu province also lost their electrical supply. Solidum said the ground movement was shallow and could have disrupted the flow of electricity in the region. The National Power Corp. (Napocor) said the quake affected the Leyte-Cebu-Negros power grid. No less than five power plants run by the Philippine National Oil Corp. (PNOC) are located at Tongonon village in Ormoc, Leyte. Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Ormoc, through the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO), is the principal source of electricity in Southern Leyte. The major power transmission lines in the province emanate from 69 kV Tolosa, Leyte that is connected to 69 kV Bontoc, Southern Leyte then to Maasin and 69 kV Baybay, Leyte to Maasin. Napocor officials said Wednesday they are trying to run a power plant in Iloilo to partially address the problem, but local electric cooperatives voiced concerns that the power it can generate will be insufficient to supply electricity to the whole region. Solidum said they are now monitoring the area for aftershocks, though none was reported as of early afternoon Wednesday. The Office of Civil Defense head Glenn Rabonza has ordered OCD personnel in Leyte to coordinate with local police and military officials to determine the extent of the damage.-GMANews.TV