We are no strangers to brownouts in Bacolod City. Every day, there seems to be a power interruption in some areas within Central Negros. Negros Power wants to address this to dimish the incidence of unscheduled power interruptions. But do you know that UNMANAGED VEGETATION is the leading cause of brownouts in Bacolod and the rest of the service areas? As soon as they have taken over, Negros Power has started clearing the tree branches on power lines that are causing unexpected power interruptions in Central Negros.
Unmanaged Vegetation: Major Cause of Brownouts in Bacolod and Central Negros
“Sa amon pinakaulihi nga inspection kag survey sa mga linya, may yara kita nga halos dos mil ka mga vegetations nga gina amat-amat na panghawanan sang aton nga mga line teams,” according to Negros Power. (“According to our latest survey, about 2000 areas need to be cleared by the line teams.”)
Tree branches touching power lines may result in the disconnection of feeder breakers as protection for the entire distribution system. This is usually prevalent when there are strong rains and wind.
When this happens, line teams manually search for the location where the branch is touching the power line, which can take hours due to the length of the feeder lines.
The branches will be immediately trimmed before reconnecting the feeder breaker to ensure that contact with the line does not happen again. But this is only a temporary solution, based on their experience. This causes a lot of inconvenience for the residents because of the frequent brownouts.
The Continuous Work of Negros Power
The transition from CENECO to Negros Power began last August 1 in preparation for the upcoming takeover next month. When Negros Power formally takes over, plans are in place to install automatic circuit reclosers on all 43 feeder lines. Moreover, they will replace lines with new insulated cables, install load brake switches, and sectionalize cut-outs to provide a permanent solution to vegetation issues. All these steps will avoid prolonged and frequent brownouts.
According to Negros Power, they need sufficient time to accomplish all of this and are asking for the understanding and cooperation of consumers in the service area.
For concerns, visit the Negros Power temporary office in Bacolod City, the Negros Power temporary office. It is located on the 2nd floor of Robinsons East building along Burgos Avenue, in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City.