Prevention is better than cure. The same is true with the aging electrical equipment and infrastructure that CENECO has, which was inherited by the Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC or Negros Power). That is the reason why Negros Power recently conducted proactive maintenance work on the critical Bacolod-Silay 69KV sub-transmission lines — to minimize outages.
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Maintenance Work on the Bacolod-Silay 69KV Sub-transmission Line
Last weekend, Negros Power conducted a proactive maintenance initiative for the Bacolod-Silay 69KV sub-transmission line to mitigate widespread power outages in the affected areas caused by aging infrastructure.
Linemen worked double time last weekend to replace 132 sets of suspension insulators on 48 structures along a critical 3-kilometer stretch of the 30-kilometer Bacolod-Silay 69KV sub-transmission line.
The maintenance work involved replacing corroded, damaged, and aging porcelain insulators with brand-new polymer insulators capable of withstanding high voltages and stormy weather.
The work was very challenging for the linemen due to the sub-transmission line’s location, which cuts through sugarcane plantations in the haciendas of the Cities of Talisay and Silay. But these brave men did what they had to do.
Read: The Negros Power Customer Care Center in Bacolod
Aging Infrastructure
One of the reasons why CENECO wanted so badly to have a JVA with Negros Power last year was because they were aware that their entire system was on the brink of breaking down.
The Bacolod-Silay 69KV sub-transmission line dates back to 1979. It is connected to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) substation in Bacolod City and serves the Lopez, Panaogao, and Silay substations under Negros Power’s operation.
“While this preventive maintenance is a necessary immediate solution, our long-term plan is to upgrade all the insulators of the 30 kilometers sub-transmission line and to relocate these lines along main roads, making maintenance and repairs more accessible and efficient in case of future outages,” Negros Power President and CEO Roel Castro said.
In the past four months of Negros Power’s operations, the company has recorded nearly 10 incidents of line faults and wire downs involving this high-voltage line, which are primarily attributed to faulty and deteriorated insulators.
This proactive maintenance initiative aims to significantly reduce power interruptions and improve the reliability of power distribution to the consumers in the area. Castro said that maintenance work is a crucial step in addressing the ongoing issue of frequent outages.