14-hour power shutdown to hit some parts of Leyte, entire Samar Island

TACLOBAN CITY, Nov. 27 (PNA) - Nearly half of Eastern Visayas' households and businesses will suffer 14-hour power interruptions on Saturday due to expansion project and synchronized maintenance and rehabilitation activities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

The entire Samar Island and some parts of Leyte, including the regional capital will experience blackout from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to NGCP’s Nov. 25, 2015 notice.

The power outage will disrupt Saturday activities of 320,817 households and business establishments in Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and some part of northern Leyte. The figure represents 44 percent of the region’s 722,493 total connections as of mid 2015.

“There will be technical works in connection with Babatngon substation expansion project and synchronized maintenance and rehabilitation activities along affected lines,” the NGCP said in a statement.

The Babatngon facility in Leyte supplies power in Tacloban and nearby towns of Palo and Babatngon, some parts of Samar and entire Eastern Samar. The Catbalogan substation in Samar transmits electricity to some parts of Samar and entire Northern Samar province.

Of the 320,817 households and businesses affected, 54,411 are covered by Leyte II Electric Cooperative; 64,712 by Northern Samar Electric Cooperative; 53,228 by Samar I Electric Cooperative; 70,337 by Samar II Electric Cooperative and 78,129 by Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative.

The supply of electric power in Eastern Visayas is generated solely from the Leyte Tongonan Geothermal Field, which generates a total capacity of 699.4 megawatts, more than enough to supply the power requirements of the region. (PNA)
JBP/SARWELL Q. MENIANO