The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) is working to restore electricity in Negros Occidental’s Victorias City and E.B. Magalona town.
On Saturday night, September 2, electricity was partially restored in E.B. Magalona after Noneco interconnected with the power lines of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) in Silay City.
“For now, it’s partial power restoration in E.B. Magalona. We are gradually supplying power to balance off the electricity load to prevent overload in the power lines,” Noneco’s statement read.
A 15-mega volt ampere (MVA) transformer stationed at the Negros First CyberCenter in capital Bacolod City, which was lent by Ceneco, arrived in Noneco’s Bacayan, Victorias substation over the weekend.
“This will replace the broken transformer. Technical procedures will be conducted before its commissioning,” Noneco said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said the commissioning will follow the protocols such as testing and declassification.
The process is expected to be completed within 24 hours of installation, he said.
“Troubleshooting operations of Noneco are ongoing and the LGU [local government unit] is coordinating with various institutions to restore electricity as soon as possible,” he added.
Earlier, the electric cooperative said their evaluation revealed that a full energization of its 15-MVA Victorias substation is possible.
However, it would place a risk on the remaining connected equipment.
After two tests conducted on the transformer, Noneco said that continuing its operation could pose risks.
“We must first ensure the safety and accuracy of our whole technical system,” the statement said.
Victorias City and E.B. Magalona experienced power outages for almost a week when Noneco’s 15-MVA substation in Victorias malfunctioned due to stormy weather conditions at 10:53 p.m. on Monday, August 28, after the substation’s lightning arrester broke down.
The power was restored past 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29, but another disruption happened a few hours later when the transformer tripped.
Earlier, Atty. John Deles, area operations department officer-in-charge, in a radio interview, said Noneco has temporarily sourced power from its five transformers at the IPI Substation to provide electricity, but it cannot cover the entire affected area.
The electricity was not restored until yesterday.
An internal inspection of the transformer showed minor damage to its primary bushings.
Parts of neighboring Manapla town, where the Noneco main office is based, also experienced power interruptions.
“The Noneco Warriors of Light with the technical support team are constructing lines for interconnection of Ceneco and Noneco,” the management said on Friday, September 1.
The power disruption has prompted affected localities to set up charging stations and distribute generation sets to the affected villages.
The residents were also forced to travel to neighboring cities of Bacolod, Silay and Talisay to get cellular and internet connections, while some stayed at hotels in the capital over the weekend./With reports from PNA / WDJ