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By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
A TOWER crane being used in an ongoing
construction near the SM Centerpoint in Sta. Mesa, Manila tripped
the Sucat-Araneta transmission line at 8:41 a.m., causing a power
outage in Metro Manila and parts of Bulacan.
The crane’s hook got entangled to the
transmission cable and partially damaged the line, according to a
statement of the National Transmission Corporation (Transco).
Consequently, a load drop of 1200 megawatts in
the North Sector of the Meralco franchise areas was experienced due
to the tripping.
Areas affected were Quezon City, CAMANAVA (Caloocan,
Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela), and parts of Bulacan and Manila.
Because of the massive outage, the Manila
Electric Company (Meralco) said that it is looking at the possible
legal options available to them in order to make those responsible
accountable under the law as a result of the damages and loss of
revenues caused by the incident.
Meralco vice president for corporate
communication Elpi Cuna said that as a result of the incident, many
Meralco substations were affected.
Among these were the Balintawak, Araneta, Sta.
Mesa, North Port, Tutuban, Tegen, Grace Park, Kamuning, Diliman,
Novaliches, Kaybiga, Bagbaguin, Malinta, Malabon and Bocaue
substations.
They serve a large part of the northern portion
of Meralco’s franchise area, including parts of the city of Manila
and Makati.
“This unfortunate incident should serve as a
reminder to those in the construction industry, most especially
those involved in the day to day operations, to keep in mind that
their actions may result in grave consequences, such as what
transpired this morning,” he said.
The tripping caused the automatic shut down of
Limay A Combined-Cycle, Calaca Coal-fired, Quezon Power Philippines
Ltd. and Pagbilao Coal-fired power plants. The automatic shutdown is
meant to prevent damage to equipment of power plants. The TransCo
System Operations group subsequently dispatched more electricity
from power plants in North Luzon to compensate for generation loss.
Power was restored in the affected areas at 11 a.m., said Transco.
By 12 noon, the Sucat-Araneta line has also been
re-energized.
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